'It felt like a Manchester derby' - RCB's Phil Salt shares his experience on facing CSK

Published - 08 Dec 2025, 21:48 IST | Updated - 08 Dec 2025, 22:15 IST

Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener Phil Salt has opened up about facing rivals Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk during IPL 2025. Salt, who was only playing his second game for the franchise at the time, revealed the contest felt no different from a Manchester derby.

RCB secured Salt for INR 11.50 crore at the IPL 2025 auction. The England wicketkeeper-batter finished the season with 403 runs in 13 matches, including four half-centuries, becoming a crucial member in RCB’s first-ever IPL title victory. Salt, who also won the IPL 2024 trophy with Kolkata Knight Riders, became one of the few players to win back-to-back titles with two different franchises.

Reflecting on the game in Chepauk, where RCB defeated CSK for the first time since 2008, Salt said the noise around the game was unlike anything he had experienced in franchise cricket.

"Going into Chennai for just my second game with RCB, I knew this wasn't just another match. The way the guys spoke about it made it clear how big this rivalry is. For me, it felt like a Manchester derby. You could sense the build-up in training, in the media, and in conversations around the group. Once you become aware of that history and that rivalry, you realise just how big that game really is," Phil Salt on the RCB Podcast.

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The opener admitted that once he became aware of the rivalry, he understood the significance of the fixture. Salt also explained that handling pressure starts with focusing on small, daily improvements rather than long-term goals.

"For me, it's all about working day by day and being completely process-driven. I focus first on the small things: getting into the gym, keeping my body right, and making the right decisions physically. Then comes the cricket side of it. When I focus too much on big goals and outcomes, I lose clarity. I learned that the hard way when I was younger. Now everything for me is about small steps and daily progress, not being obsessed with results," he added.

Furthermore, he stated that physical preparation comes first, including getting into the gym, managing workload, and making the right choices before moving to cricket-specific work. Salt also revealed how his partnership with Virat Kohli excelled during the season.

“We started building that connection from the moment we both arrived here… It’s very much a conversation that happens out in the middle, and sometimes it doesn’t even need words. You can just sense how the other guy is playing. In Jaipur, for example, there wasn’t much chat at all, it was just obvious that whenever Virat got on strike, he was happy to rotate it to me. It’s always important to have a strong relationship with whoever you’re opening with. You need to understand how they play, and they need to understand your game too, so that you can bring the best out of each other," he concluded.