Royal Challengers Bengaluru are scheduled to play Mumbai Indians in what will be an important IPL 2026 encounter at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. With both sides on the brink of elimination and looking for an extended playoff stay all eyes will be on the fitness of star opener Phil Salt. The England batter has been sidelined by the RCB in recent games due to a finger injury sustained during a dive against Delhi Capitals last week and the franchise has taken cautious approach to his recovery. The news for the Bangalore outfit is that Phil Salt is expected to be out for the crucial fixture tonight against the Mumbai Indians. According to reports the injury is yet to heal completely and the management does not want to risk any of their important batsmen in the game. The unavailability of Salt has created a vacuum in the top order of RCB and the hard-hitting opening batter has struggled to provide them with quick starts in the powerplay. He has been the one taking the charge and helping RCB in establishing dominance in the powerplay since the beginning of the season. The same seems to have created some issues in the middle order of Bangalore who will now be burdened with the pressure of scoring big in the middle order. Also Read | Why LPL 2026 Removed its Controversial Instagram Followers Requirement Jacob Bethell Yet to fill Salt’s shoes Young England batter Jacob Bethell has been playing for Phil Salt but has failed to make a massive impact at the top of the order for Bangalore as he has scored only 43 runs from four innings in the IPL 2026 as an opening partner to Virat Kohli. While Salt has scored runs at a strike rate of 168.33, the left-hander from England has failed to provide them with attacking starts at the beginning of the innings and this has been one of the major concerns for the Bangalore side in the second half of the Indian Premier League 2026. The defending champions have lost their last two games against Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants which has put them in a very tough position in the points table with each remaining game now turning out to be a must-win. Quick turnaround for RCB The fixture against Mumbai Indians is expected to be another high-voltage encounter between the two of the biggest franchises of the Indian Premier League 2026. Bangalore will be hoping for a change of fortunes with their batting unit despite Salt's absence at the top while on the other hand Mumbai Indians will be hoping to continue their winning momentum at the back of some convincing victories.