New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar said opener Phil Salt is ready ahead of the IPL 2026 Qualifier 1 match against Gujarat Titans in Dharamshala on Tuesday, but added that the team management is yet to decide whether he will be part of the playing XI.Salt missed the final part of the league stage due to injury after participating in the first six matches of the season. Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Monday, Patidar said the England player was still being monitored.
“Salt is ready, he is being monitored. But we are yet to decide on the starting XI we will play. We will look at the wicket and then decide.”RCB finished top of the points table with 18 points from 14 matches, ahead of GT in net run rate after the two teams finished tied on points.
The winner of Qualifier 1 will qualify directly for the ISL final, while the losing team will get another chance through Qualifier 2 on Friday against the winner of the Eliminator match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.Patidar said RCB’s focus remained on direct qualification to the final.“Winning and going to the final. That’s the conversation we’ve had since day one. We’ve shown we’re top of the table.
“We’ll get the rest if we win this match.”Despite topping the points table, Patidar described the clash against GT as evenly balanced.“On a given day, the team that performs best under pressure will win. We just need to keep our nerve.”RCB will face a Gujarat bowling attack that has been among the most consistent this season. However, Patidar backed the bowlers to respond strongly after a forgettable outing against SRH in the last league match.Bhuvneshwar Kumar had an expensive outing in that match, but Patidar said the experienced player remains a key component of RCB’s plans.“He is an experienced bowler. The last match did not go the way we wanted but bowling is our strength and the way we are bowling in the Powerplay, I think that will be very crucial (against GT). So we are looking for early wickets and that is what we have done so far. That is what Bhuvi, Hazlewood and Rasik are doing. So hopefully we can continue the same process.”