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A major update has come on Phil Salt ahead of the IPL 2026 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday, May 31, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Phil Salt already missed 8 straight matches for RCB this season due to a finger injury.
Salt's IPL 2026 campaign hit with a major blow on April 18 when he injured a finger on his left hand while making a dive to stop a boundary against Delhi Capitals. The injury was serious enough for the England star to leave the tournament and return to England for further scans and treatment.
Finger injury forced Phil Salt out of IPL 2026 action
After working hard on his recovery for nearly a month, Salt made his way back to the RCB camp ahead of the IPL 2026 playoffs. Even RCB captain Rajat Patidar confirmed that Salt had fully recovered and was fit to play again, but he missed Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans.
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In the absence of England’s dangerous batter, Venkatesh Iyer opened the innings for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru along with Virat Kohli this season, and even in Qualifier 1, the Indian all-rounder was preferred. However, Iyer could score only 19 runs off 7 balls in RCB’s 92-run win over GT.
Rajat Patidar drops a big hint on Phil Salt's Final chances
Even before the title clash in Ahmedabad, Rajat Patidar already hinted that Salt could miss the final as well, and even the Englishman was reportedly not seen training in the nets ahead of the IPL 2026 final against the Gujarat Titans on Sunday.
Patidar said at the pre-match presser, “Right now he is there with the side. But at the same time, he is doing some sort of drills and batting also. And again, we have not decided yet. We will see how the doctor and all the management look at it. And we will see what the conditions are tomorrow.”
Phil Salt likely to miss IPL 2026 Final as RCB set to back Virat Kohli-Venkatesh Iyer as the opening pair
Now, a Revsportz journalist, Rohit Juglan, shared a massive update on RCB’s opening combination for the summit clash against GT. He also revealed that Phil Salt is highly likely to miss the IPL 2026 final as well, with the RCB looking to continue with the Virat Kohli-Venkatesh Iyer opening pair.
Most Likely no Phil salt in the Finals too - Venki Virat to open
— Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) May 30, 2026
However, the official update is yet to arrive. Before the injury, Salt and Kohli formed one of the most dangerous opening pairs in the league and were in great form, scoring 202 runs with the help of two fifties for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in six matches.
Ahmedabad weather brings big relief ahead of GT vs RCB IPL 2026 Final
Well, monsoons have already hit many parts of the country, but the good news is that the weather in Ahmedabad is expected to remain mostly clear with very little chance of rain affecting the IPL 2025 final between GT and RCB.
Interestingly, Gujarat Titans faced some travel trouble after their Qualifier 2 victory over Rajasthan Royals. Heavy rain in parts of Punjab and Rajasthan delayed flights from Chandigarh, affecting the team's travel plans. However, the big relief is that the IPL final has a reserve day. If rain or bad weather plays spoilsport on Sunday, the game will continue on Monday, June 1.
