Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to take on Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) on Tuesday as the two lock horns in Dharamshala. After finishing in the top two, both RCB and GT will look to book their place in Sunday’s final. However, RCB will be sweating on the fitness of Phil Salt as he tries to be fit for the GT contest on Tuesday. Captain Rajat Patidar broke the silence on Salt and reckoned that he is fit for the Playoff contest.
RCB vs GT, Team News: Rajat Patidar breaks silence on Phil Salt
“Salt is fit. He is under observation by the doctor. He has been participating in a few drills, but we haven’t decided on our playing eleven yet. We will look at the wicket and decide,” Patidar said.
“I have known Venky since childhood. He has a great attitude and is ready to bat anywhere in the order,” Patidar said.
“He was a main player at KKR but when he came here, he didn’t get a lot of chances in the beginning. He accepted that and ensured he was prepared when the chance came to cash in.”
RCB make to face GT as number one team in league phase
On Friday, a powerhouse batting display, headlined by three frenetic half-centuries, set up Sunrisers Hyderabad’s comprehensive 55-run victory over RCB, though it wasn’t enough to secure them a top-two finish as both teams completed their league engagements on 18 points apiece.
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen extended their consistent run on a terrific batting surface at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, muscling the home side to 255/4 after Pat Cummins chose to bat.
Defending champions Bengaluru needed to score at least 166 to ensure that they finished ahead of Hyderabad on net run rate even in the event of defeat, and they got the job done with clinical efficiency, finishing on 200-4.
Despite the defeat, Bengaluru (0.783) ended up table-toppers, ahead of Gujarat Titans (0.695), who also amassed 18 points, with Hyderabad occupying the third spot.
