Who will replace Phil Salt? (PC-PTI)
Royal Challengers Bangalore team, which is performing amazingly in IPL 2026, seems to be getting a big blow, its star opener Phil Salt has left India and returned to England. Salt suffered a finger injury during the match against Delhi Capitals. Now this player has gone to London for treatment. It is being told that it is difficult for Salt to play now and he may be out of the entire season. In such a situation, the question is that if Salt is out of IPL 2026, then who will replace him? Let us tell you about those 4 players who are contenders to replace Salt. Two of these players were showing their strength in the Pakistan Super League.
Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who remained unsold in the IPL 2026 auction, can be a good option. This player also plays aggressive cricket like salt. Gurbaz stayed with KKR for three seasons. Recently he performed well in the T20 World Cup. Gurbaz is also a wicketkeeper and is also considered a good fielder.
Australian opener Jack Fraser Magark can also be a contender to replace Salt. This player performed brilliantly in IPL 2024 and scored 330 runs at a strike rate of 234. On the basis of this performance, he also played T20 International for Australia. Although he could not do well at the international level. His performance in IPL 2025 was also poor, due to which he did not find any buyer in the IPL 2026 auction. However, this player is very talented and is also adept at scoring stormy runs in the powerplay. Magark can be a good option for RCB.
England opener Jonny Bairstow is also a good contender to replace Phil Salt. This player is known for his fast batting in T20 cricket. In the IPL itself, he has scored 1674 runs at a strike rate of around 150. This player has also scored two centuries in IPL. This player was not sold in IPL 2026 but he has the power to replace Salt.
New Zealand opener Devon Conway can also be a good option to replace Salt. This left-handed batsman was playing in the Pakistan Super League, where he scored 315 runs at an average of 35 while playing for Islamabad United. Now it remains to be seen whether RCB will consider his name or not.