Jacob Bethell is one of the most promising talents in the world and definitely the most talked-about one in England. The 22-year-old is the youngest centurion across formats for England. He already has a hundred in an away Ashes and in a T20 World Cup semifinal. However, a couple of months after these knocks, Bethell is warming the bench in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had picked Bethell for around £250,000 (INR 2.60 crore) in 2024. He played two matches in IPL 2025, scoring a fifty on his debut. However, since then, he hasn’t been able to find a place. RCB have opted to pick another Englishman, Phil Salt, over him, with Tim David, Romario Shepherd, and Josh Hazlewood being the other overseas picks.
Jacob Bethell wasting time in India
Bethell has warmed the bench for nearly a month. In the meantime, the County Championship has commenced. His team, Warwickshire, has played 3 matches and is placed second in Division One at the moment. But Bethell isn’t playing. Either in England or in India.
Former England Test captain Alastair Cook isn’t pleased with this. He has no problem with Bethell playing in the IPL for RCB. But he isn’t pleased that he’s warming the bench. In ideal circumstances, he would’ve been playing for Warwickshire. This would’ve allowed him to work on his red-ball game.
“For that top-order batting, the way he played at Sydney, against that attack, in those conditions…I’ve looked at a player there, and I’m certain this bloke can open. If he can bat three, he can open,” Cook said on the Stick to Cricket podcast. “(But) it’s not ideal, is it? Bethell shouldn’t really be it because he’s not opening. He’s sitting on his arse at the IPL, not doing anything. Ideally, he could come back and open for Warwickshire to help England,” he added.
Perhaps he could open in County cricket, since England will need an opener with Zak Crawley out of the equation. Another issue with Bethell playing in the IPL is that the New Zealand series will kick off on June 4. This means Bethell will have a maximum of 2 weeks to prepare for it. If RCB reach the final, he may not even have a week.
