RCB Suffers Setback as Rs 11.50 Crore Signing Misses IPL 2025 Match vs Delhi Capitals

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) was dealt a major blow before their IPL 2025 match against Delhi Capitals on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The team's star player, Phil Salt, was unable to play the match because of illness. The opener and wicketkeeper star was ailing with fever, and his exclusion would see RCB lose an integral part of its batting order. The absence of Salt was confirmed by RCB captain Rajat Patidar after he won the toss and decided to bowl first in the match. It was an important match for both teams since the winning team would take the top position in the points table of the IPL.

Salt, who was purchased by RCB for a whopping Rs 11.5 crore in last year's auction, has been an integral cog in the side. In the nine games that he has played till now, he has chipped in nicely with the bat, having scored 239 runs at a mean of 26.56 and a strike rate of 168.31. His contribution of a quick start at the beginning of the innings has been imperative for RCB. He said RCB's plan was to bowl first, as they felt it would be simpler to chase down whatever score was put up on this wicket. The choice of bowling first was also because RCB wanted to carry on their momentum at home, having won their first match at their home stadium. Patidar highlighted the side's determination to get better with each game, suggesting that they were committed to continuing to learn and improve their performances.

Across town, Delhi Capitals' skipper Axar Patel also had his say about the pitch and the toss. Although he agreed that RCB's choice of bowling first may be a strength, he revealed that if DC had won the toss, they would have decided to bat. Patel said that the pitch had not received dew in the last match, but it had played a part in their game against Mumbai. He also added that his bowlers were in good form and that he would have liked to bowl against the visiting batters in the top order for RCB.

Delhi Capitals team, which was second in the points table, was hoping to consolidate its position with a victory in this decisive match. RCB, on the other hand, was eager to put aside the disappointment of losing Salt and win the match to reach the table top. The two lineups had some of the stronger players, with Faf du Plessis also back in the DC side and the Impact Player choice to be decided based on the course of the match.

The players of the Delhi Capitals team for the game were: Axar Patel (C), Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mukesh Kumar. The Royal Challengers Bangalore team, on the other hand, consisted of: Rajat Patidar (C), Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, and Yash Dayal.

The non-availability of Phil Salt was a big worry for RCB, considering his contribution in providing the team with good starts. But with the experience and depth in the team, RCB was looking to come back strong and make the most of the chance to win. With both teams eager to make an impression, the match was anticipated to be an exciting encounter.