Virat Kohli and Phil Salt were seen training together in a practice session, as shared in a video by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In the clip, Kohli turns as a bowler helping Salt with his batting, as the English batsman looks to overcome a recent slump in form.Kohli and Namak have emerged as the most destructive opening pair. IPL. Last season, their partnership was instrumental in helping RCB win their first title in 18 years. Both provided a consistent offensive opening, with Salt playing the aggressive role while Kohli led the innings.
He scored 565 runs in 13 innings. One of his standout partnerships came against KKR, where he added 95 runs in just 8.3 overs while chasing 175. Salt scored 56 (31), while Kohli remained not out on 59* (36).Another dominant performance came against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, where he opened with 92 runs in a nine-wicket win. Namak smashed 65 (33), while Kohli finished with 62* (45).
Individual roles in RCB’s title campaign (2025).
Phil Salt played a pivotal role for RCB in IPL 2025, scoring 403 runs in 13 innings at an impressive strike rate of 175.98, including four fifties.Virat Kohli also had an outstanding season, scoring 657 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.75. He played a key role in RCB’s title win, including a crucial innings of 43 runs in the final against Punjab Kings.
Kohli backed Namak.
Despite Salt’s recent struggles in the T20 World Cup 2026, where he managed just 130 runs in eight innings, Kohli has shown strong support for his opening partner. Salt is one of the most destructive T20 batsmen, and RCB’s director of cricket, Mo Bobat, has also backed him to regain form ahead of IPL 2026.
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Who will have more influence in IPL 2026?
“Someone like Phil Salt is still in the top two or three T20 batsmen. [No. 4] In the world, he also enjoys being with RCB. He enjoys the franchise. He enjoys his partnership with Virat. [Kohli]. He works very well with the likes of Andy and DK. [Dinesh Karthik]. So, they’re doing something pretty cool right now. And I’m pretty sure we’ll see Phil Salt do his thing early in the season. You know, I’m looking forward to seeing him and Virat come out to bat like they do. A couple of gladiators are going out, which is always interesting. And they will try to put pressure on the opposition. We have got a lot of confidence in our team. In particular, with your question, we have confidence in Full Salt,” Mo Bobbitt said at a press conference on Tuesday (March 24).
