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Royal Challengers Bengaluru are set to face Kolkata Knight Riders in an important IPL 2026 clash on Wednesday, May 13, in Raipur. The match is very important for both teams as they continue their fight for a top-four finish.

 

For RCB, they’re sitting pretty at the moment, topping the points table with 14 points from 11 games. However, even with that momentum, the defending champions are still sort of waiting on their star opener Phil Salt.

 

Salt, the England batter, has missed the last five matches, all because of a finger injury. And without him, RCB’s batting start has looked a bit unsettled, they’ve been trying to find something that feels stable up top, you know?

 

Phil Salt Still Missing From Training

 

The injury happened earlier in the tournament, and after that Salt went over to the United Kingdom for scans. Since then, there’s been no real official word on when he’s going to be back.

 

There were some claims that Salt had recovered and was basically already on his way back to India. But the recent training update is not really calming anyone down, and it raises fresh doubts on whether he can actually play vs KKR.

 

Journalist Shashank Kishore posted details from RCB’s practice session, and made it clear that Salt didn’t take part.

 

Shashank Kishore tweeted:

 

“From RCB's training: No Salt. Romario didn't bat, just did some fitness & fielding. Venky Iyer had a long net. As did most of the other top order batters, including Kohli, Padikkal, Patidar, Jitesh & David. Krunal chose to rest.”

 

So yeah, if Salt is missing another session then, it now looks pretty hard for him to feature against KKR.

 

Also Read | 5 Reasons Why LSG Should Release Rishabh Pant Before IPL 2027

 

Jacob Bethell Likely To Continue As Opener

 

Without Salt, RCB have been using Jacob Bethell as an opener, working alongside Virat Kohli. But honestly Bethell hasn’t made a proper impact yet. He’s had multiple chances, still couldn’t turn his starts into big scores. Still, if Salt doesn’t return in time, RCB are expected to stick with the same opening duo in the KKR match.

 

Virat Kohli is still the main batter for RCB at the top, and the team will be hoping Bethell finally clicks when it matters. Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma and Tim David are also in the mix, and all of them apparently spent long hours in the nets beforehand.

 

Venkatesh Iyer Could Replace Romario Shepherd

 

Another big topic coming out of the training session was whether Venkatesh Iyer could be back in the playing XI. This left-handed batter has played just two matches this season and scored 41 runs overall. Even with limited opportunities, he might now come in place of Romario Shepherd, who has had a rougher IPL 2026 so far.

 

Shepherd has managed only 83 runs across seven innings, plus he picked up six wickets as well. But the performances have been too inconsistent, so RCB could decide on a different mix, especially with the playoffs getting nearer.

 

And if Venkatesh does come into the side, RCB would also be able to open up an overseas slot. That could let them bring back fast bowler Jacob Duffy, who looked impressive earlier in the season, before losing his place after Josh Hazlewood returned.

 

With the playoffs approaching quickly, RCBwill want their best possible combination against KKR, because this is one of those matches that can swing everything.