RCB’s trump card in 1st title win to be snatched! KKR co owner drops massive interest
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The RCB team won their first title in IPL history last season, and a huge credit to their success goes undoubtedly to their recruit and former IPL winner Phil Salt. The former KKR star, who was released ahead of the mega-auction, has been described as being loved for his intensity by the KKR co-owner, which has led to the buzz.
Clean strikers of the cricket ball at any position in a batting order are crucial for the shortest format of the game. English opener Phil Salt, who is undoubtedly one of the finest T20 batters in the world currently, is one such batter, and he has had a remarkable stint in the IPL.
Salt was first handpicked and identified by the Delhi Capitals management under the guidance of Ricky Ponting and the great Sourav Ganguly. Phil played just 9 games in IPL 2023 and amassed 218 runs with an average of 27.25 and a strike rate of 163.25.
Phil Salt played a monumental role in RCB's maiden IPL triumph
Phil Salt showed his true calibre when he arrived at the City of Joy in Kolkata. Flaunting an exceptional record at the Eden Gardens, Salt himself amassed 435 runs across 12 games in the IPL 2024 season. He, alongside Sunil Narine, opened the innings for KKR, and the two added nearly 1000 runs for the team.
What made Salt's innings impressive was his blistering strike rate of 180+ in the powerplay overs, which gave the team innings much-needed momentum. The RCB were probably lured by the same things, as it could easily take the pressure of run-scoring from Virat Kohli, who tends to take a bit of time to settle in.
For the RCB, Salt scored 403 runs in the season with a strike rate of 175 in 13 games, but what seemed the most interesting was that Salt's innings came as a winning knock every time the team needed him to fire. He played a mammoth role in RCB's triumph with the bat, giving the early jolt to high-pressure games for them.
"I've been a fan of Phil Salt for years. I just love him," KKR co-owner's views on the former KKR opener
Despite a stellar season for the Knight Riders in the IPL 2024, where they won the title under skipper Shreyas Iyer, Phil Salt was also released ahead of the mega-auction. This seemed to be the most unreasonable decision ever made by the KKR management.
Salt then moved to RCB and played for them the following season, leading them to another title as mentioned above. However, now the KKR co-owner, Jahnavi Mehta, the daughter of Raj Mehta and Juhi Chawla, has revealed her affection for the English cricketer's intensity on the field.
She said, "I've been a fan of Phil Salt for years. I just love him for his fire and his intensity. And he fights hard every time he's on the field."
KKR in the quest for an opening wicket-keeper batter
The Kolkata Knight Riders have been constantly in the hunt for a wicket-keeper batsman since the mega-auction last time around. The Knight Riders parted ways with Phil Salt and needed a player who could don the gloves.
With poor money management, they invested shortly in Quinton de Kock, the former great opening batter in the IPL, but he could not perform convincingly with the Knights. There have been talks that urge his release as well.
KKR have been in the hunt for players like KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, and more who could also take up a captaincy role alongside strengthening their top-order batting.
However, the recent interest in the former star has drawn social buzz, claiming that they might be looking for a potential trade with the defending champions, RCB.
RCB also seemed interested in KKR star Venkatesh Iyer since the last season's auction, as they were responsible for such a high bid on the KKR batting all-rounder.
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