Why is Phil Salt not playing today? Why is Lungi Ngidi not playing today? Both teams are missing key overseas players for the DC vs RCB clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Monday night — Match 39 of IPL 2026. Phil Salt is out with an injury sustained during a net session, while Lungi Ngidi is sidelined after a horrific head and neck injury suffered during DC’s previous match against Punjab Kings.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to bowl first. RCB have made one change from the side that beat Gujarat Titans — Jacob Bethell drops to the bench, with Devdutt Padikkal moving up to open alongside Virat Kohli. DC captain Axar Patel confirmed at the toss that Kyle Jamieson and Dushmantha Chameera come into the XI, while debutant Sahil Parakh has been handed his first IPL cap to open alongside KL Rahul.
This is the reverse fixture — DC won the first meeting at the Chinnaswamy earlier this season, chasing down 176 to hand RCB their only home defeat. Salt had scored 63 in that match.
ALSO READ: MS Dhoni injury update latest
Why Is Phil Salt Not Playing Today In DC vs RCB?
Phil Salt is not playing today because he is still recovering from an injury he picked up during a net session before RCB’s match against Gujarat Titans on April 24. This is now the second consecutive match Salt has missed.
RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik confirmed Salt’s absence in the pre-match press conference on Sunday. “Salt is injured for the moment,” Karthik said, adding that the team does not want to take any risks and will wait for complete recovery.
The exact nature of the Phil Salt injury has not been disclosed. When Salt was first ruled out ahead of the GT match, captain Patidar simply said “Salty got injured, Bethell is in” at the toss. What we know is that the injury occurred during training — not during a match — and has now persisted long enough to keep him out of two games.
Salt has scored 202 runs in six matches this season with two half-centuries, including a highest score of 78 against Mumbai Indians. His aggressive batting alongside Kohli has been central to RCB’s powerplay strategy, and he has doubled as their first-choice wicketkeeper and arguably the best fielder in the tournament.
Unlike the GT match where Jacob Bethell replaced Salt at the top, RCB have shuffled their order tonight — Devdutt Padikkal moves up to open with Kohli, while Bethell drops to the bench entirely. Jitesh Sharma continues behind the stumps.
What Happened To Phil Salt?
Phil Salt sustained his injury during a net session in Bengaluru ahead of the GT match on April 24. RCB have not specified whether it is a muscular issue, a back problem, or something else — Patidar and Karthik have both kept the details vague. The fact that it has ruled him out of two matches despite not being a match-day injury suggests it is significant enough that RCB are being cautious rather than risking a worsening situation mid-season.
With RCB sitting second on the points table with 10 points from seven matches, they are in a strong enough position to manage his absence without jeopardising their playoff standing. There is no confirmed return date, but Karthik’s phrasing — “injured for the moment” — suggests the team expects him back this season.
Lungi Ngidi Injury Update: Why Is Lungi Ngidi Not Playing Today?
Lungi Ngidi Injury Update: Why Is Lungi Ngidi Not Playing Today?
Lungi Ngidi is not playing today after suffering a serious head and neck injury during DC’s previous match against Punjab Kings on April 25 at this same venue.
The incident occurred in the third over of PBKS’ chase. Ngidi was fielding at mid-off when Priyansh Arya lofted a shot off Axar Patel. Ngidi backpedalled to attempt the catch, lost his balance, and fell backwards, hitting the back of his head hard on the ground. He remained on the turf in visible pain as play was halted.
His neck and head were supported with a brace before he was stretchered off and taken to hospital in an ambulance that entered the playing area. Delhi Police created a green corridor to ensure Ngidi reached Max Hospital in Rajendra Nagar within 11 minutes.
The Lungi Ngidi injury update from the IPL’s official account confirmed within an hour that the South African pacer was “stable” and “due to be discharged shortly.” DC Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao said after the PBKS match: “It is not serious. He is still in the hospital. We will update, but nothing serious.” Ngidi was discharged later that evening and on Sunday posted on Instagram: “Thank you for the messages, all good.”
However, concussion protocols meant Ngidi was never going to be cleared for tonight’s match just 48 hours later. According to reports, Ngidi has now been ruled out of at least DC’s next two matches. The ICC mandates a mandatory seven-day stand-down for any player diagnosed with a concussion, and latest reports are that Ngidi has been asked to serve the same — even though IPL 2026 Playing Conditions do not specify so explicitly.
Axar confirmed at the toss that Kyle Jamieson replaces Ngidi in the XI, with Dushmantha Chameera also coming in. DC also have Mitchell Starc in their squad, but the Australian pacer is being eased in after a shoulder injury and is not expected to be available until May 1 onwards.
Ngidi has taken seven wickets in seven matches this season with a best of 3/27, and his death-overs economy rate of 6.7 was the best in IPL 2026 among bowlers with 18+ death-overs balls. With the seven-day concussion stand-down confirmed, Ngidi will miss at least DC’s next two fixtures and could only return on or after May 2 at the earliest. His absence is a significant blow to DC’s bowling, which already conceded 265 to PBKS in their last outing.
DC vs RCB Playing XIs
Delhi Capitals (batting first): Sahil Parakh, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (c), Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Kyle Jamieson
DC Impact Bench: Auqib Nabi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, T Vijay, Abishek Porel
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (bowling first): Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar
RCB Impact Bench: Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Venkatesh Iyer
DC vs RCB IPL 2026: Match Context
RCB are second on the points table with 10 points from seven matches (5 wins, 2 losses) and arrive in strong form after beating Gujarat Titans at home. Virat Kohli has been in sensational touch, and the bowling — led by Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar — has been among the most disciplined in the tournament.
DC are seventh with 6 points from seven matches (3 wins, 4 losses) and desperately need a result. Their last match against PBKS was a nightmare — despite KL Rahul’s unbeaten 152 and a total of 264, DC’s bowling collapsed as Punjab chased it down with seven balls to spare in the highest successful chase in IPL and T20 history. Now without Ngidi’s death-bowling expertise and handing a debut to Sahil Parakh at the top, DC face an uphill battle against the defending champions.
Follow all latest cricket news and updates here on The Dakia.
