Unfinished business: Phil Salt returns to Pretoria Capitals for Season 5

Centurion crowds will once again get to watch Phil Salt take aim at the grass banks.

The England opener is returning to Pretoria Capitals for Betway SA20 Season 5, rejoining a franchise he first represented in the competition's early years - only this time arriving as one of the most destructive white-ball batters on the planet, now ranked fourth in the world in the ICC's T20I batting rankings.

Salt formed part of the Capitals side that reached the maiden Betway SA20 final at the Wanderers. He played a pivotal role during this run with his signature knock coming against eventual champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Gqeberha, an unbeaten 77 off just 47 balls that powered the Capitals to 193/6 and a 23-run win. 

Overall, he scored 238 runs at an average of 29.75, including two half-centuries, striking at over 152 - numbers that made him a fixture at the top of the Capitals' order as they finished as Season 1 runners-up.

Season 2 yielded a further 116 runs at a healthy strike rate of over 143, continuing to open the batting in a Pretoria side that leaned heavily on his ability to take the game away from bowlers in the Powerplay.

Phil Salt's previous stint in Betway SA20 at Pretoria Capitals yielded 354 runs and 18 dismissals

Salt then stepped away from the Capitals due to international commitments, but his stock in the white-ball game has done nothing but rise since. He returns to Pretoria for Season 5 as a bona fide global superstar of the format — now paired at the top of the order with Australia's Matthew Short, his regular opening partner for Welsh Fire in the Hundred, in what promises to be one of the most explosive top-order pairings in the competition.

GET TO KNOW: Matthew Short

The years away from SA20 have coincided with the most productive stretch of Salt's international career. He was part of England's title-winning squad at the 2022 T20 World Cup, and followed that up by smashing back-to-back centuries against West Indies in 2023 - including a knock of 119 that stood, at the time, as England's highest individual T20I score.

He then went one better. In 2025, Salt produced the innings of his career against the Proteas at Old Trafford, blasting an unbeaten 141 off just 60 balls - the fastest century by an England batter in the format, reaching three figures in 39 deliveries to beat Liam Livingstone's previous national record. 

The innings powered England to 304/2, the first time two Test-playing nations had seen a side pass 300 in a T20I, as England went on to win by 146 runs.

Here's when the Centurion faithful can see Salt in the flesh again! Register now for early access to tickets...

Salt has also worn the captain's armband for England's T20I side, leading the team during their 2024 series against Australia.

His franchise résumé has swelled just as fast. After going unsold at the 2024 IPL auction, Salt was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders as a mid-season replacement and top-scored his way to a title, striking 435 runs at a strike rate of 182 in a title-winning campaign. A year later, he won the IPL again - this time with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who paid US$1.37 million to sign him and were rewarded with a title-winning opening partnership alongside Virat Kohli. He has also twice reached the final of the Hundred with Manchester Originals.

For a Capitals side that finished as runners-up last season and has moved quickly to strengthen its top order - pairing Salt with Short alongside Dewald Brevis, Sherfane Rutherford and Andre Russell - his return gives Pretoria one of the most fearsome batting line-ups in the competition, and a familiar face who knows exactly how to make the most of those short boundaries at Centurion.