Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) explained the reasoning behind choosing Phil Salt over Faf du Plessis in the IPL 2025 auction.
Ahead of the auction, RCB let go of their captain Du Plessis, who led the side in the last three seasons. Out of those three, the franchise progressed through to the playoffs on two occasions. The right-hander slammed 1,636 runs in 45 games for RCB at an average of 38.05 and a strike rate of 146.99, with 15 fifties. In particular, the Proteas batter amassed 730 runs in the 2023 season.
Despite leading the St. Lucia Kings to a title victory in CPL 2024, Faf du Plessis faced an axe from the franchise, predominantly due to his 40 years of age and not being a long-term prospect for them.
Instead, RCB went into a bidding war with Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders and secured the services of Phil Salt for a whopping amount of INR 11.5 crore.
Salt stunned the cricket fraternity with his impressive 2024 season for the Knight Riders. He helped the side to qualify for the playoffs by scoring 435 runs at a strike rate of 182 with four fifties. Although, he didn’t feature in the playoffs, the Englishman was among the hopefuls for getting retained by KKR. However, the franchise utilized their full quota of six retentions, and released the right-hander.
In the auction, RCB pounced upon the opportunity and shelled out big money for Salt. In a video posted by the franchise on social media, they were seen having a discussion on picking top-order batters in the auction. Although, the fans unanimously chose Faf, the RCB think tank, including Dinesh Karthik, still decided to bet on Salt due to his explosiveness and ability to hit back-to-back boundaries.
Here’s what Karthik said:
“We would want a foreign opener because, on the day they get going, they can score a hundred in 60, 50, or 40 balls, whatever it might be. Players like Jos Buttler and Phil Salt have done this time and time again.”
Karthik further elaborated on Salt’s impressive strike rate:
“Salt has achieved that consistently. If we aggregate everything, he emerges as the common denominator. My concurrence is that Phil Salt scores 6–8 runs in an over. 28% of the time, and 12–15 runs in an over 30% of the time. In one out of four overs, he scores 16 or more runs, and in one out of two overs, he scores 12 or more.”
Faf du Plessis to play for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025
After RCB decided to not use the Right-to-Match (RTM) card for Faf du Plessis, Delhi Capitals picked him up at his base price of INR 2 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. The pressure of an acrobatic fielder, a quick runner between the wickets and an experienced leader will be a boon to the Capitals.

However, it will be interesting to see if DC opts to include Du Plessis in the XI. The side purchased KL Rahul and brought back youngster, Jake Fraser-McGurk, who shone bright last season for them. Mitchell Starc, Harry Brook and Tristan Stubbs are other players who will stake a claim for the four overseas slots in the team.
FAQs
How many runs has Faf du Plessis scored in IPL?
4,571 runs in 145 games
What is the track record of Phil Salt in T20s?
6,517 runs in 268 matches