Phil Salt’s Participation in Final in Doubt Due to Child’s Birth

AHMEDABAD: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) might have to proceed without two of their prominent international players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final against Punjab Kings, which is slated for Tuesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

RCB, displaying remarkable form throughout the competition, clinched their spot in the final by securing a convincing victory over Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1.

However, their aspirations of claiming the trophy have been dealt a blow due to the potential unavailability of two significant players.

Reports indicate that wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt may miss the final because of the impending birth of his child. While the franchise hasn’t released an official statement, sources suggest Salt might have already headed back to his home country.

The English player has been an indispensable component of RCB’s top order, amassing 387 runs across 12 games with an impressive strike rate of 175.90 and an average of 35.18. His possible absence would constitute a considerable setback for the team.

Adding to RCB’s challenges, power-hitter Tim David is also anticipated to be absent from the final due to a hamstring injury he sustained during a group-stage encounter against SunRisers Hyderabad.

He suffered the injury while fielding near the boundary during the final over of the first innings and hasn’t participated in any matches since then.

With both Salt and David potentially unavailable, RCB might be compelled to reorganize their team composition.

Should Salt be ruled out, Tim Seifert and Mayank Agarwal emerge as the leading candidates to partner with Virat Kohli as openers, while Romario Shepherd may bear the primary responsibility for finishing duties.

Shepherd previously demonstrated his powerful hitting capabilities earlier in the tournament with a noteworthy innings against Chennai Super Kings at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

In the meantime, Jacob Bethell has returned to his home country to join England’s squad for the ongoing series against the West Indies, further diminishing RCB’s options for international players.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) IPL 2025 Squad: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (C), Yash Dayal, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara