NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a blow ahead of their crucial clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with opener Phil Salt ruled out due to fever.
Salt, who had taken part in practice on Saturday, looked fine during the session but could not recover fully in time for the match on Sunday.
Salt has been a key figure for RCB this season after being bought for a massive Rs 11.5 crore in the auction.
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In his nine appearances this season, the Englishman has scored 239 runs, including two impressive half-centuries, making him an important part of the team’s top order.
Also See: DC vs RCB IPL Live Score
With Salt unavailable, England’s Jacob Bethell made his IPL debut for RCB.
Captain Rajat Patidar, who won the toss and chose to bowl first, confirmed that Bethell replaced Salt for the game. Patidar added that the wicket looked good for batting and preferred chasing in the conditions.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals were boosted by the return of Faf du Plessis, who came back after missing four games due to a groin injury.
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DC captain Axar Patel mentioned he would have preferred to bat first but was confident about adapting to the conditions as the match progressed.
Sunday’s match is a high-stakes encounter, with the winner set to move to the top of the IPL 2025 points table, ahead of Gujarat Titans. The last time these two teams met, KL Rahul’s unbeaten 93 had guided DC to a six-wicket win over RCB.
Fans were eager to see Virat Kohli’s homecoming, but Salt’s absence adds an unexpected twist to the contest.
