25 March,2026 11:45 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Phil Salt (Pic: BCCI)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's director of cricket, Mo Bobat, has backed Phil Salt to have a successful season at the IPL. The Englishman is currently out of form after a poor World Cup with England.
Salt played a significant role in RCB's maiden IPL triumph, scoring 403 runs in 13 innings at an average of 33.58. However, the opener's form since then has been a concern as he only scored 130 runs in eight matches at an average of 16.25 at the recent T20 World Cup in India.
Speaking to the media before the start of the IPL, Mo Bobat openly backed Salt and emphasised that Salt remains one of the top-ranked T20 batters in the world. Phil Salt is ranked at number four in the ICC Men's T20I rankings.
"Well, those aren't concerns for me. We've got a high-quality squad, and as we saw last year, our strongest team that we put out most of the time is full of predominantly guys who are playing or have played international cricket. So, these guys are seasoned professionals. They know what they're doing. Someone like Phil Salt is still ranked in one of the top T20 batters in the world," Mo Bobat said.
"I'm looking forward to watching him and Virat walk out to bat like they do. Couple of gladiators walking out, which is always exciting. And they'll be trying to put the opposition under pressure," he added.
Mo Bobat said that Phil Salt enjoyed batting with Virat Kohli. The RCB's opening pair were at their best during last season, guiding the franchise to its first-ever IPL title.
"So there's enough depth of confidence there. He also really enjoys being with RCB. He enjoys the franchise. He enjoys his partnership with Virat. He works very well with the likes of Andy and DK. So they're doing some really good work right now. And I'm pretty sure we'll see at the start of the season Phil doing his thing," Mo Bobat said.
Defending champions RCB will kick off their title defence against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
(With ANI Input)
