Jacob Bethell was left on the bench on Monday night as Royal Challengers Bengaluru reshuffled their top order for Match 39 against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and chose to bowl first.
Devdutt Padikkal moved up to open with Virat Kohli, while Jitesh Sharma continued behind the stumps. The change came with Phil Salt out injured and missing his second straight match after a setback in a net session in Bengaluru ahead of RCB's game against Gujarat Titans on April 24.
Dinesh Karthik had said on Sunday that “Salt is injured for the moment,” and Patidar reiterated the same on the night, saying, “Salty got injured, Bethell is in.” RCB made one change from the side that beat Gujarat Titans, with Salt's place taken by Bethell in the squad but not the XI.
Salt had been one of RCB's most productive batters this season, with 202 runs in six matches, including two half-centuries and a top score of 78 against Mumbai Indians. He had also made 63 in the first meeting between these sides earlier in the season, when Delhi Capitals chased down 176 at the Chinnaswamy to hand RCB one of only two home defeats before the reverse fixture.
Delhi were also forced into a change after Lungi Ngidi was sidelined by a head and neck injury suffered in their previous match against Punjab Kings on April 25 at the same venue. Axar Patel said at the toss that Kyle Jamieson and Dushmantha Chameera came into the XI, while debutant Sahil Parakh was handed his first IPL cap to open alongside KL Rahul.
RCB arrived in Delhi sitting second on the points table with 10 points from seven matches, but the bigger concern was still Salt's absence and the uncertainty around when their opening pair will be back together. For now, the reshuffle has pushed Bethell out of the spotlight and Padikkal into it.