Phil Salt’s dry run with the bat in IPL 2026 extended to Guwahati as the right hander departed on a golden duck against Rajasthan Royals.

After the match was delayed due to rain, Royal Challengers Bengaluru were invited to bat first. It turned into a horrible start as Salt was dismissed on the very first ball.

Phil Salt batting woes continued against RR

Jofra Archer got it right straight away. He hit the deck hard and the ball rose awkwardly at Salt. The batter looked cramped for room and could not control the shot. The ball took the leading edge and went straight to Dhruv Jurel behind the stumps. Salt had no answer to that delivery and had to walk back immediately.

Despite the early setback, RCB recovered well. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal took charge and played some positive shots to settle things down.

They helped the side reach 61 for 2 in the powerplay, putting some pressure back on the RR bowlers. Padikkal looked in good touch but his stay was short as he departed for 14 runs off 7 balls.

Fans were quick to react to Phil Salt’s poor form this season. Many expressed concern over his repeated failures at the top, while some questioned his place in the playing XI.