Phil Salt To Miss RCB's IPL 2026 Clash Against DC? Mentor Dinesh Karthik Answers

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor Dinesh Karthik confirmed that their opening batter Phil Salt will miss the team's upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) as the stylish batter is still 'injured'. Notably, Salt also missed RCB's last clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT) due to injury.

Will Phil Salt feature in DC vs RCB clash?

In Salt's absence, England batter Jacob Bethell will be seen featuring against DC at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. This will be Bethell's second outing for the defending champions after a forgettable outing in their last clash against GT where he managed to score 14 runs in 10 balls.

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"Salt is injured for the moment," Karthik said in the pre-match press conference.

Karthik lavished praise on Virat Kohli

Meanwhile, Karthik was surprised by not being asked a question on Virat Kohli until one journalist finally did in the presser. The former RCB star showered praise on Kohli. 

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“The fact is that man goes back every year and assesses what he has done," Karthik said. “He almost comes with a very stubborn plan about how he wants to go about it, and he gets it done – not on match days alone, but the way he practices as well. He has a method for how he goes about it, constantly checking himself in practice."

“He has so much experience, and it’s quite amazing — a learning experience for any young boy watching. I’m sure the likes of Vihaan (Malhotra) and Kanishk (Chauhan) have looked at him and thought, ‘Look at how Virat bhaiya is practising. What is he doing differently?’ And they’ve asked me as well: ‘What do you think Virat bhaiya is doing differently than last year?'" Karthik added.

RCB's performance in IPL 2026

Defending champions RCB are currently second in the points table after winning five out of their seven matches. PBKS, who are unbeaten in the tournament, sealed the top spot in the points table.