Phil Salt reflects on playing alongside Virat Kohli ahead of IPL 2025

The fanfare that follows the Royal Challengers Bengaluru all around often overshadows the fact that the franchise is yet to secure its maiden IPL title. A significant reason behind RCB's massive fan following is undoubtedly Virat Kohli, who has remained loyal to the franchise for all 17 seasons and is now gearing up for the 18th edition. A core figure in RCB and the face of the team, Kohli has continued to showcase impressive camaraderie within the camp despite stepping down as captain ahead of IPL 2023. The duo of Kohli and AB de Villiers remains one of the most iconic partnerships in the league, and arguably in the game itself.

The tradition of Kohli bonding with an overseas player did not end with de Villiers' retirement. Now, Phil Salt takes center stage in that equation as he prepares for his maiden stint with Bengaluru. Following de Villiers’ exit, the trio of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell dominated the spotlight for their bond. When du Plessis joined RCB in IPL 2022 as captain, fans quickly embraced the former CSK player, with the South African seamlessly stepping into the opening role alongside Kohli.

Along with du Plessis and Kohli, Glenn Maxwell formed the core of RCB's batting lineup over the last three seasons. However, the IPL 2025 mega auction brought changes to this combination, as RCB released both Faf and Maxwell. While du Plessis has joined Delhi Capitals as their vice-captain for IPL 2025, Maxwell has returned to his former franchise, Punjab Kings.

Meanwhile, RCB has brought in Phil Salt, who is set to partner Virat Kohli at the top of the order this season. Salt played a crucial role as KKR’s opener last season, helping the team clinch its third IPL title. However, the defending champions opted to release him, and RCB secured his services in the mega auction for ₹11.50 crore. Now part of the RCB setup, Salt has been training alongside Kohli for IPL 2025. The English batter recently shared his thoughts on playing alongside the Indian superstar as they gear up for the upcoming season.

“Virat Kohli is such a good man. He's so chilled. But for the game, he's a super competitor, he likes to get in this, he likes to fight, he likes battle. We're getting on pretty well, I'm pretty happy alongside batting with him,” Salt said recently.

We sense the banter between Virat and Salt is only going to get better as the season goes on! 😁#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBUnbox pic.twitter.com/YhcV3U15lL

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 17, 2025

Meanwhile, IPL 2025 is set to kick off on March 22 in Kolkata. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament opener at Eden Gardens on Saturday.