Lockie Ferguson headline unavailable; Phil Salt misses PBKS clash
Phil Salt did not make it back to India in time for RCB’s match against Punjab Kings on May 17 in Dharamsala, and lockie ferguson is not part of this update. The opener is expected to return only for the playoffs, leaving RCB to continue without a top-order batter who had supplied 202 runs in six innings before the injury hit.
Rajat Patidar’s April 18 absence has stretched into a longer run for Salt. He has now missed seven consecutive matches since damaging a finger on his left hand while diving to save a boundary at deep backward square leg in the sixth over of the second innings against Delhi Capitals at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Dharamsala without Salt
RCB went into the HPCA Stadium without Salt for the May 17 meeting, and Jacob Bethell was set to open alongside Virat Kohli. Jitesh Sharma was captaining the side, while Patidar sat out after a concussion sustained during the KKR match on May 14.
Salt’s numbers before the setback explain why his absence has been tracked so closely. He scored 202 runs in six innings in the first half of the tournament, with a 33.67 average and a strike rate of 168.33. That output came before the finger injury stopped his run against Delhi Capitals and removed him from RCB’s playing XI.
Patidar’s May 13 view
The latest timeline had already pointed away from a quick return. On May 16, Vishesh Roy reported that Salt would miss the remainder of the league stage and was still in the UK, which made the May 17 trip to Dharamsala a no-go.
That followed Patidar’s own postgame read after RCB’s six-wicket win over KKR on May 13, when he said, “I don't know, but I think he will come soon.” One day later, Patidar was ruled out himself for the Punjab Kings match because of the concussion he sustained against KKR.
RCB’s opening options
The immediate picture for RCB is clear enough. Bethell was the chosen opening partner for Kohli on May 17, and Salt is not part of the lineup until the playoffs, if RCB qualify. The league stage closes with RCB scheduled to play Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 22, and Salt is expected to miss that too.
For RCB, the short-term answer is a patched opening order and a captaincy change already in motion. Salt’s return window is tied to the playoff stage, not the final league stretch, so the team’s next moves are being made without one of its most productive openers from the first half of the season.
