Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium witnessed a nightmare opening for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL 2026 encounter with Rajasthan Royals. Phil Salt’s horror run continued as he was out for zero on the first delivery, becoming the joint second-most frequent victim of first-ball dismissals in IPL history.
This marks Salt’s third such occurrence, surpassing many but trailing only Parthiv Patel’s four. Archer’s fiery pace and Jurel’s sharp glovework sealed the deal.
RCB’s top order imploded further. Padikkal, riding high from recent half-centuries, scored 14 off 7 before perishing. Pandya managed one run against Bishnoi’s guile. Kohli’s explosive 32 from 16 balls, laced with boundaries, ended abruptly, bowled by the same spinner.
Team changes added intrigue: Hazlewood’s return bolstered RCB’s bowling, replacing Duffy. RR countered by resting Deshpande for Sharma under Parag’s captaincy.
With RCB perfect in two games and RR winning all three, this match promised fireworks. Salt’s duck, however, signals potential trouble for Bengaluru against a Royals side that’s firing on all cylinders.
