Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener Phil Salt made headlines with his cheeky response when asked about his relationship with Virat Kohli during an interview on RCB’s official social media. Speaking to Mr Nags, Salt initially quipped that he and Kohli are merely "colleagues", only to later make a playful U-turn in the same segment.
Nags: “You said that there are no friends in the IPL in one of your interviews. So when you are out playing with Virat, are you friends with him or are you not?”
Salt: “Colleagues.”
When Nags asked again, Salt clarified with a grin:
“Everybody that I have played cricket with is a friend of mine. I just did not want to give you any extra ammunition in this interview.”
The light-hearted exchange has gone viral among fans, especially given the chemistry Salt and Kohli have shown as RCB's opening pair in IPL 2025. The duo has added 376 runs in nine innings together, which is the third-highest partnership tally this season.
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Only the pairs- Sai Sudharsan-Shubman Gill, and Kohli-Padikkal have more runs than the Salt and Kohli duo. Despite the banter, their on-field understanding continues to be one of RCB’s strongest assets.
Earlier in another , Salt opened up about opening with Virat Kohli and how Kohli communicates during matches.
“It’s mainly about assessment. The thing I like about Virat Kohli more than anything else is that when it’s time to take a big over, if you get a boundary in the first couple of balls, he’s very clear with me. He’ll be running down the wicket, saying ‘Kill him.’ I love that sort of clean feedback and clean input. We’re having a good time at the moment. We just have to keep doing what we are doing.”
RCB will return home in search of their first win at Chinnaswamy Stadium. The table-toppers have won seven out of their ten matches so far, but have lost all three matches at home. Earlier, Salt stressed winning at home.
“We go back to Bengaluru. It’s a ground that we train at more than anyone else. It’s a ground we’re going to play more than anyone else, so it’s a matter of time before we get that right, we get that winning formula and you know we give all the fans something to really cheer about.”
Kohli, who is currently second in the Orange Cap standings with 443 runs from 10 matches, and Salt, who has 239 runs in nine innings, have provided RCB with consistently solid starts. The three-time finalist will once again depend on the duo to contribute big in their upcoming games.
