[Watch] Phil Salt wishes KKR teammates and support staff through video call during IPL 2024 title celebrations
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Phil Salt ensured to be part of the side's celebrations for winning the IPL 2024 title through a video call from the UK on May 26. The England batter played a vital role in KKR finishing atop the points table with his batting heroics.
Salt scored 435 runs at an average of 39.54 and a strike rate of 182 in 12 games. While his departure to join the national side for the Pakistan T20Is could have hampered the team's progress, KKR's bowlers stepped up big in the Qualifier 1 and final against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) to fill his void.
As the players celebrated the title at Chepauk, Salt spoke to Varun Chakaravarthy and several other KKR players and support staff to extend his wishes. The KKR social media handle shared a video of the same as below:
Salt came in as the replacement for fellow English opener Jason Roy, who pulled out before the start of the season. With the tournament MVP, Sunil Narine, Salt formed a devastating opening partnership responsible for several fast starts by KKR.
Meanwhile, the title was KKR's third in their franchise history, making them clear third behind only the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI).
"It was brilliant keeping to Sunny and Varun on spinning wickets" - Phil Salt
Phil Salt was delighted at the opportunity to keep wickets to the spin twins, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, on turning wickets during the IPL 2024 season.
Renowned for being mystery spinners, the pair combined for an incredible 38 wickets at miserly economy rates of 8.04 (Varun) and 6.69 (Narine).
In an interview with the Telegraph, Salt said:
"Every opportunity I get I work on keeping. It was brilliant keeping to Sunny and Varun on spinning wickets. That was great fun. Sometimes I feel it is a good marker of where your game is at if you are tested at that level."
Apart from his glorious run with the bat, Phil Salt effected 12 dismissals behind the stumps in the IPL this season.
The swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter scored a nine-ball 13 in his latest stint with the bat during the second T20I of the England-Pakistan series. After the series opener was washed out, England took a 1-0 lead with a 23-run win in the second T20I.
Salt will be back in action in the third T20I of the four-match series in Cardiff on Tuesday, May 28.