England batter vibes with his old franchise ahead of IPL 2025 opener [Watch]

England and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opening batter Phil Salt was seen vibing with his old franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the IPL 2025 opener at the Eden Gardens on Saturday, March 22. In a video shared by the Knight Riders on social media, Salt was seen speaking to KKR all-rounder Moeen Ali, pacer Anrich Nortje, and franchise managing director Venky Mysore.

Salt went unsold initially but was bought by the Knight Riders for ₹1.5 crore ahead of IPL 2024 as Jason Roy's replacement after the latter pulled out for personal reasons. The 28-year-old forged a fearsome opening partnership with Sunil Narine at the top, amassing 435 runs in 12 matches at 39.54 and maintained a strike rate of 182. Despite playing a vital role in KKR's title win, he wasn't retained by the franchise.

The Royal Challengers seized the opportunity and shelled out ₹11.50 crore on him in the auction held last November in Saudi Arabia. The Englishman is likely to open the innings with Virat Kohli.

Phil Salt will be looking to have a good IPL 2025 after a forgettable Champions Trophy for England

Phil Salt. (Image Credits: Getty)

Salt will be hoping to rediscover his form in the upcoming IPL season after managing scores of 10, 12 and 8 while opening for England in the 2025 Champions Trophy. With England ending their campaign winless and the keeper-batter struggling in 50-overs cricket, he is unlikely to retain his place in the ODI setup moving forward.

Nevertheless, Salt can remind the selectors that he deserves a spot in the T20I squad by scoring runs in IPL 2025. Salt's national teammates Jacob Bethell and Liam Livingstone are also part of the RCB squad.

The Royal Challengers are hunting their maiden title, having fallen short in the final thrice and will look to end the drought this year.