Another cause for concern has emerged for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2026 as England and RCB opener Phil Salt returns home for finger scan checks. The top-order batter has already been sidelined from three matches, and the impact of this on RCB's top order setup is now becoming apparent. The ESPNCricinfo has confirmed that Salt has flew back to England to be scanned after picking up an injury in the loss against Delhi Capitals. This news has come at a key point for the RCB side as they look to build momentum this season. The 29-year-old was one of RCB's best performers early in the campaign, scoring 202 runs from six innings in the competition at an incredible strike-rate of 168.33. He was responsible for getting his team off to flying starts, giving RCB valuable early innings contributions and his quickfire starts were vital to setting the tone in their wins and he's been clearly missed during their defeats since. How the Injury Occurred The injury was suffered in the home fixture against the Delhi Capitals where he was behind the stumps trying to make a diving save from a shot by Rishabh Pant. Diving down towards the deep backward square leg boundary Salt ended up injuring a finger on his left hand. What seemed a perfectly ordinary fielding attempt proved costly, and although the specifics of the injury haven't been shared by the franchise, his trip to England signifies a cautionary approach from both the home side and the ECB to ensure he has the right treatment for his return to playing. With Salt unavailable, the team has decided to promote Jacob Bethell into opening for RCB alongside Virat Kohli but his returns haven't matched the impact that Salt brought to the team. He has been given a chance at the top of the order, however Bethell has failed to establish himself and Jordan Cox is a viable alternative. Also Read | IPL 2026 Discipline Issues: Abhishek Sharma to Riyan Parag on Violation List Who Got Fined and Why? Will Phil Salt Return in IPL 2026? As of now there is a ray of hope within the RCB camp. It is an indication that the injury is not being treated to seriously as something which might end the season for him. The scans in England are said to make things much clearer and there is confidence in the camp that Salt will be back in time to play later this month. It will be in the latter half of the tournament, if all things fall in line. The team is in a small break now after the defeat against the Gujarat Titans. They are facing Lucknow Super Giants in the next game and there is no clear indication that Salt would be able to make it into the team for the match against the Super Giants. It is also not the case that there would be a replacement available for him readily but still with a small break in hand the primary effort is to get him fit and bring him back into the team.