Defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore have been in great form and have managed to win four out of their six games in this edition of the competition. Despite promising performances, there have been some flaws in their lineup.
England’s opening batsman Phil Salt, who was out of form before the start of the IPL, had also failed to perform in the ICC T20 World Cup. However, coming into this competition, he has performed better on many occasions and scored easy runs for the Royal Challengers.
This match will be considered very important for Royal Challengers Bangalore because their winning streak on their home ground this season was broken by Delhi Capitals in the last game.
Why is Phil Salt not playing today’s match against GT?
Phil Salt has been playing for the Royal Challengers since last season and has been scoring a lot of runs at the top of the order. While playing for RCB, Salt has scored 202 runs this season and has also scored runs at a strike rate of 168.33.
Therefore, he has not been dropped from the team, but due to the injury he suffered during the net session. England left-hander Jacob Bethell has been included in the eleven and will play his first match this season.
Phil Salt has scored 1258 runs in 40 matches so far and has scored the highest number of runs in the history of IPL at an average of 174.48 with an average of 34. After 6 consecutive matches this season, he has been replaced by Jacob Bethel, who scored 67 runs last season, including a half-century.
RCB Playing XI Breakdown vs GT
Royal Challengers Bangalore have named Jacob Bethel in the impact sub lineup for the Challengers in their upcoming game against Gujarat Titans. Apart from this, the rest of the eleven is the same as before.
Virat Kohli is not being used as an impact player and is back on the field. With Phil Salt sidelined, he will get a new opening partner in the form of Devdutt Padikkal or Jacob Bethel. Captain Rajat Patidar and Tim David add aggression and form to the middle-order.
Finally, they have the same bowling lineup that has been extremely successful for them with three fast bowlers and two spinners who have left no stone unturned. RCB has not yet given young player Mangesh Yadav a chance to play in any game.
Why is the RCB vs GT match so important from RCB’s point of view?
The RCB vs GT game is important for the defending champions, as their winning streak was interrupted in the previous game at Chinnaswamy. This match against GT is the last game for RCB at its home ground.
After this match, all the matches will be played at one away venue and the other home venue in Raipur, as announced earlier by BCCI. So, for RCB, they will not have any more home advantage if they lose the game against GT.
Phil Salt will be missed at the top of the order but the pair of Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethel can do wonders in RCB’s last home match of the season.
Also Read: RCB vs GT Impact Players Today: Toss Report, Playing XI, Latest Updates IPL 2026 Match 34
