Josh Hazlewood and Phil Salt have missed out due to injury and illness respectively.

Josh Hazlewood had missed RCB’s last match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) due to a shoulder niggle whereas Phil Salt has missed the last couple of matches due to an illness.

Both the players have played crucial roles in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s impressive run in IPL 2025 so far. The Australia pacer has taken 18 wickets from 10 matches whereas the England batter has scored 239 runs from nine matches, including two fifties.

Dinesh Karthik hopeful of duo’s quick return

Jacob Bethell played in place of Salt against Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. He scored a half-century against the MS Dhoni-led side. Lungi Ngidi replaced Josh Hazlewood for the game against the Yellow Brigade. The South African pacer finished with figures of 3/30 from four overs.

The Rajat Patidar-led side currently leads the IPL 2025 standings with 16 points from 11 matches. They recently completed a rare double over arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with a two-run win in Bengaluru.

Lucknow Super Giants, also fighting for a spot in the IPL 2025 playoffs, will host Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Friday. The Rishabh Pant-led side is in seventh place with 10 points from 11 matches.

Phil Salt and Josh Hazlewood set to return

Phil Salt, who was out due to a fever, is set to return to the XI. He will open the innings with Virat Kohli.

Meanwhile, Josh Hazlewood, who missed the last game due to a shoulder niggle, will also return to the fold. He is the best RCB bowler, and his presence will boost the bowling attack significantly.

Likely changes in RCB’s playing XI: Phil Salt in for Jacob Bethell, Swastik Chikara in for Devdutt Padikkal, and Josh Hazlewood in for Lungi Ngidi.

RCB’s likely XI vs LSG: Phil salt, Virat Kohli, Swastik Chikara, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh HazleWod, Yash DayleWod, Yash Dayaalod

Impact Player: Suyash sharma