So, Andy Flower, the brains behind RCB, just gave the lowdown on Rajat Patidar and Phil Salt’s injuries ahead of Friday’s face-off with SunRisers Hyderabad down in Lucknow. Patidar messed up his finger against CSK (ugh, classic RCB luck) on May 3, right before the mid-season chill break. Bad timing, honestly. Phil Salt’s situation? Not much better. The guy’s been sidelined, sick as a dog, and sat out the last two matches. To make things even more ridiculous, both of them were technically “fit” and could’ve played in that KKR game on May 17, but plot twist the match never even got going. Flower addressed the duo's availability in the pre-match press conference, saying: "We are not too concerned about that (break). I think the boys have worked really well over the entire season and they have played some superb cricket throughout the season. Yes, a little break now, but for a couple of our players that has actually been a healthy thing. Rajat Patidar for one has given his right hand a little bit of time to settle after getting quite a bad knock. So, he is fit to bat, which is great." He added: "Salt was sick for a while, so it (the break) has given him a little chance to get home. He has recharged his batteries and he is back at full force. Of course, everyone in the competition and all our fans would have wanted the competition to play out as planned, but bigger things were at hand and we have had to roll with that." Gotta say, this hasn’t exactly been either guy’s dream season. Patidar is lagging, racking up just 239 runs across 11 matches—so, what, an average that’s barely above 23? Maybe a fun strike rate at 140-something, but still not the fireworks RCB fans wanted. Salt’s form is all over the place too. Makes you wonder if the cricket gods just enjoy trolling this squad. Alright, let’s shake some of that starchy sports-journalist stiffness out of here: Salt’s racked up 239 runs from nine matches—not terrible, not legendary—hitting at an average that’s, eh, just north of 26, and rocking a strike rate that basically says he swings for the fences every chance he gets. Read also: Arshad Khan takes a nasty tumble not once but twice and twitter reacts RCB? Yeah, their eyes are glued to just one thing right now: finish top two on the table. Playoff ticket’s already punched, two games left to mess around, and honestly, it’s just about making sure PBKS doesn’t sneak up with that net run rate voodoo. They’re chilling at number two with 17 points from 12. If they lock down both remaining games and keep their net run rate sparkly, they’ll be laughing. Led by Patidar, RCB’s just been on a heater—four wins on the bounce, haven’t lost on the road all season. Oh, and get this: they’re literally the only crew who made playoffs back-to-back in 2024 and 2025. Not bad for a bunch of lads in red, huh?