DC vs RCB, IPL 2026: Why is Phil Salt not Playing Today? Who has Replaced Him?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are taking on the Delhi Capitals in a crucial IPL 2026 encounter on Monday (April 27).

Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to field first at the Arun Jaitley and confirmed Phil Salt remains sidelined for this match as well.

Why is Phil Salt not playing Today?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opener Phil Salt remains sidelined with an unspecified injury sustained during a net session before their IPL 2026 clash against Gujarat Titans. He missed that match and has now been ruled out of RCB's next game against Delhi Capitals.

RCB mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik provided the latest update in the pre-match press conference:
"Salt is injured for the moment."

The exact nature and recovery timeline of the injury have not been disclosed publicly. RCB are adopting a cautious approach to avoid any setbacks, with no confirmation yet on his availability for subsequent matches. Salt had been in strong form earlier in the season before this issue arose.

Who has replaced Phil Salt in RCB Playing 11?

Jacob Bethell is the likely replacement. The southpaw remains on the bench as an impact player and may come out to bat when RCB begin their chase.

RCB Playing 11 vs DC

Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood

RCB Impact Players: Jacob Bethell/Jordan Cox/Mangesh Yadav/Vicky Ostwal/Venkatesh Iyer