New Delhi, May 20 (IANS) In a timely boost for defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), opener Phil Salt is set to return to India later this week after spending a month back home on the sidelines due to a finger injury.

Salt, 29, injured a finger on his left hand while diving to save a boundary during RCB’s defeat to Delhi Capitals in an afternoon clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 18. He then flew home to recover and spend time with his young family.

But now, as per a report from ESPNCricinfo, Salt is set to come back to India and rejoin RCB. “It remains to be seen if Salt will be available to play in RCB’s final league-stage match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday, but they are unlikely to take any risks so close to the playoffs,” further said the report.

In his absence, RCB have already secured qualification for the playoffs and are well‑placed to reach Qualifier 1, to be played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala next Tuesday, barring a significant dent to their net run rate.

Salt had provided a significant spark at the top of the order for RCB by amassing 202 runs across six innings at an impressive strike rate of 168.33 before the finger injury forced him out of the lineup.

In his absence, his England teammate Jacob Bethell has partnered with Virat Kohli at the top of the batting order. But Bethell has struggled to make an impact, amassing only 96 runs in seven innings with a highest score of 27.

His place could come under pressure even if Salt is not cleared to play in Friday’s clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium after batting all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer struck an unbeaten 73 in RCB’s win over Punjab Kings in Dharamsala on Sunday.

With regular skipper Rajat Patidar missing the game against PBKS due to not travelling to Dharamshala after being struck on the helmet by a sharp bouncer from Kolkata Knight Riders’ pacer Kartik Tyagi during the clash in Raipur, Iyer stepped up to make crucial runs for RCB.

–IANS

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