Phil Salt and Arshdeep Singh in frame. Image Credit: ANI
PBKS vs RCB Injury News: Punjab Kings turn hosts as Royal Challengers Bengaluru make the travel to Himachal Pradesh. PBKS come into this game in desperate need of a win. Having lost their last five games, the Shreyas Iyer-led unit, despite a successful start, now find themselves in a position where they need to win two games to qualify. Meanwhile, RCB comes into this game needing a win to qualify and further strengthen their grasp over the top two spots in the IPL 2026 points table. The defending champions come into this game with their own problems pertaining to the opening partnership.
Phil Salt has been a huge miss at the top of the order for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru since he suffered a finger injury. He has been replaced by Jacob Bethell; however, the young left-handed batter has not been able to find any success. In six games, the 22-year-old has scored only 85 runs, averaging less than 15 while striking at 121. He has been one of the poor performers for the defending champions this season. As RCB approach the business end of the tournament, the defending champions might be looking at a possible replacement.
Phil Salt, who started with RCB in 2025 and went on to win two IPL trophies in two straight seasons with two separate teams, KKR and RCB, had a very promising role in the team’s success. He was sidelined due to an injury after playing six games this season, where he was thrilled on the field and had a promising start with the bat. During the game against the Delhi Capitals, he suffered a finger injury. His English teammate Jacob Bethell was picked as an opener alongside Virat Kohli when he returned to England for additional evaluation and treatment of his condition. But Bethell hasn’t been able to fire as well as he could.
Arshdeep Singh has been involved in some off-the-field controversies in recent times. The left-arm pacer passed on some racist remarks towards Tilak Varma right before the Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians clash. To make matters worse, Tilak was named the player of the match as PBKS lost their fifth game on the trot. Given the off-field conversations following him, it might not be a bad idea to give him a break and let some pressure off him.
PBKS Predicted Playing XI: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (C), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh; Impact Player: Yuzvendra Chahal
RCB Predicted Playing XI: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood; Impact Player: Rasikh Salam Dar
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
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