“Nice to Have Wood on Him”: Phil Salt Revels in Win Over Archer & Royals After Blazing Knock

RCB opener Phil Salt reflects on his rivalry with Jofra Archer and his powerplay onslaught as Bengaluru cruise to a 9-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.

Jaipur, April 13: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) thrashed Rajasthan Royals (RR) by nine wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday, and it was opener Phil Salt who stole the spotlight with a fiery 65 off 33 balls, steering his side to a clinical win and earning the Player of the Match award.

Post-match, Salt expressed his satisfaction not only at contributing to the victory but also at outclassing fellow England international Jofra Archer, someone he’s had a long history of training battles with.

“Very pleased, always pleased to contribute to a win. The venue was slightly different, pleased that I could put a stamp on the game for the lads,” said Salt.

“Me and Jofra have had a lot of battles in the nets. He’s bowled at me more than anyone else, and I have faced him more than I have faced anyone else. Nice to have wood on him.”

Salt acknowledged that the pitch was slower than expected and praised his team’s bowling unit for setting up the win by restricting RR to 173/4. Despite strong efforts from Yashasvi Jaiswal (75) and Dhruv Jurel (35), RR struggled to break away in the final overs.

“The wicket was slower and lower than anywhere else we’ve played. I had a real opportunity in the powerplay to put a stamp. Rajasthan played quite well. Our bowlers definitely got the plans right,” Salt added.

Opening alongside Virat Kohli, Salt gave RCB a blistering start, reaching 65/0 in the powerplay. He reached his half-century in the 8th over with clean striking, including five fours and six sixes. Kohli’s composed 62* and Devdutt Padikkal’s solid 40* saw RCB chase down 174 in just 17.3 overs.

With the win, RCB climb the IPL 2025 table with momentum and confidence. Salt’s fireworks at the top and his subtle dig at Archer added extra spice to a performance that was both dominant and memorable.