Jacob Bethell says he has no regrets about sticking with his IPL commitment to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, even after noise in England suggested the County Championship should come first ahead of the Test summer. Speaking before RCB’s Raipur leg of IPL 2026, the England batter framed the tournament as the sport’s biggest spotlight, adding that he believes the experience will only sharpen him rather than stall his development.
“This is the marquee competition of the year, with some of the best players in the world taking part,” Bethell said. “I definitely don’t think it’s going to damage my career or stop me from improving. If anything, I expect it to do the opposite.”
The discussion had been sparked by Alastair Cook, who argued that Bethell would be better served by focusing on red-ball cricket instead of “sitting on his arse” in the IPL. Kevin Pietersen countered that view, stressing that young cricketers can grow faster by being immersed in the IPL environment—something he felt outsiders may not fully appreciate.
Cook’s remarks arrived at a moment when Bethell hadn’t played a single match for RCB in their first six outings. Since then, he has been handed starts in four games, although his runs have not come as smoothly as he would like. Even so, Bethell insists he remains focused and unmoved by the outside debate.
“Everyone’s entitled to their opinions, and that’s completely fine,” he said. “People see things differently, but from my side, I’m confident I’ve made the right call. At the end of the day, I’m satisfied with where I am.”
Interest in Bethell had been building even before IPL action began. His remarkable century against India in the T20 World Cup semi-final opened plenty of conversations about whether RCB could somehow make room for him in their squad. For a period, that wasn’t possible, but Phil Salt’s finger injury later created an opening.
With the opportunity now available, Bethell’s impact with the bat has been underwhelming so far. Across four innings, he has produced scores of 14, 20, 5 and 4. Still, there were signals on Saturday that the coaching staff’s belief is intact. During RCB’s short training session in Raipur—cut short by heavy rain—Bethell was the first batter to take the nets, doing so alongside Virat Kohli.
However, Bethell says he doesn’t take that backing for granted. “I don’t really feel like I’m battling for a place,” he explained. “The honest truth is that I haven’t scored the runs I wanted to, and that hasn’t helped the team. My job as a batter is to go out there and put runs on the board and give us a strong start, and I haven’t done that.”
He added that his motivation is not rooted in any sense of having to prove someone wrong. “It’s not coming from looking over my shoulder or fighting for a spot,” Bethell said. “It’s more about hunger to contribute properly to this group. It doesn’t feel good when you aren’t contributing to wins. And with the last couple of games going the wrong way, there’s a real desire to go out there and deliver a match-winning effort—especially against Mumbai Indians.”
Bethell believes the immediate challenge is finding his rhythm after not spending enough time at the crease. “As batters, we all chase perfection, but it’s pretty much unattainable,” he said. “It’s definitely difficult to settle into your timing when you’re not spending as much time in the middle as you’d like. What I’m focusing on personally is always thinking about the impact I can make in the next match.”
He acknowledged that his start to the tournament has not matched what he wanted. “I can’t pretend I’ve got off to the beginning I would have hoped for,” Bethell admitted. “But ultimately, the only game that matters is the one tomorrow. Once tomorrow is done, it’s the next one. My entire focus is what happens first ball tomorrow, and I believe that approach will serve me well over time.”
After questions about his form and wider scrutiny, including debate driven by former England captains, the press conference took a lighter turn when Bethell was asked about AB de Villiers comparing him to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Bethell laughed at the comparison and responded with a reality check. “I’m not sure about the Vaibhav comparisons,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever scored 50 off 14 balls or whatever it was. Vaibhav is obviously a fantastic player, but for someone like AB to mention me in those comments is pretty cool.”
Bethell also spoke with enthusiasm about the chance to open alongside Virat Kohli—a role he has been glad to embrace since making his RCB debut last season. “It’s great. I’ve said it a few times already how enjoyable it is to bat with him and to be around him in the dressing room,” Bethell said. “I don’t think it adds pressure on him. Having someone of that quality in the side means you can rely on him.”
He added that batting with Kohli can also change the feel of an innings. “A lot of the time, people focus on watching him, so some of the pressure is taken off you,” Bethell said. “So it’s not something that weighs on you—it’s more something that lets you play freely, I guess.”
As the session drew to a close, Bethell was asked to name his preferred top four picks, rounding off a conversation that moved from contract decisions and criticism to form, mindset, and the day-to-day realities of preparing for the next fixture.
