Phil Salt’s remarkable IPL journey took a turn as he was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for INR 11.50 crore (approximately GBP 1.08 million or USD 1.37 million), after going unsold in the previous year’s auction. Despite the earlier snub, Salt became a key player for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024, contributing 435 runs at an explosive strike rate of 182 in their title-winning campaign. KKR made a strong attempt to bring him back, but financial constraints forced them out of the bidding war.
Although KKR had retention rights on Salt, they opted to keep six other players, and Salt, with no further offers from them, became an exciting addition to RCB’s star-studded lineup. Head coach Andy Flower confirmed that Salt will open the batting alongside Virat Kohli, which has Salt eager to play with his cricketing idol. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Virat,” Salt said, looking forward to the partnership. “We've had a bit of chat before, so I'm excited to team up with him.”
Salt’s aggressive batting style fits perfectly with RCB’s ethos of fearless cricket, recalling watching Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers in action during his younger years. “They’ve always had world-class batting lineups and fiery personalities. I’d always watch them play when I was younger, so it's great to be part of that culture,” he added. Salt also expressed his enthusiasm about working with Flower and Mo Bobat, whose strategic thinking aligns with his own approach to the game.
Following the auction from the UAE, where Salt is captaining Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10, he shared his excitement for the IPL season ahead. Salt will be joined by fellow England cricketers Liam Livingstone and IPL newcomer Jacob Bethell at RCB, the latter being a player Salt believes has immense skill and potential.
Though Salt recently signed his first central contract with England and expressed aspirations to play Test cricket, his focus remains on his IPL role. He hasn’t played first-class cricket in over a year due to his IPL commitments, and while he was considered for a Test spot following Jordan Cox’s injury, Ollie Robinson was chosen as the replacement. Despite the challenges of balancing formats, Salt is content with his current position and looks forward to his next chapter with RCB.
Updated on 26th November, 2024 by MyFortune11 Team