Jacob Bethell reacts after Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen get into fiery county championship vs IPL debate

Jacob Bethell is yet to score big for RCB in the IPL 2026 season. The shoes of Phil Salt are proving too much to fill for the youngster.

Updated on: May 10, 2026, 09:09:12 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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Jacob Bethell, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opening batter, found himself at the centre of a huge storm after some names back home in England asked him to prioritise the County Championship over the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The debate was started by former England captain Alastair Cook, who said that Bethell would be better off playing some red-ball cricket ahead of the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. It is worth noting that when Cook made these comments, Bethell hadn't played a single game in the IPL 2026 season, as RCB management went with Virat Kohli and Phil Salt as the opening batters.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Jacob Bethell plays a shot (ANI Picture Service)

However, with Salt getting injured, a spot opened up, and Bethell walked into the playing XI. Kevin Pietersen, also a former England captain, disagreed with Cook, saying Bethell would learn more by just being a part of the IPL setup.

All this while, Bethell didn't react. Still, finally, the left-handed batter broke his silence, saying that while everyone is allowed to have their opinions, he definitely is learning more by being in India and spending time with some of the biggest names.

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“This is the marquee tournament of the year, with some of the best cricketers in the world playing in it. Everyone thinks differently, but from a personal point of view, I think I’ve made the right decision. This is the marquee tournament of the year, with pretty much all of the best cricketers in the world playing in it,” Bethell told reporters ahead of the IPL 2026 match against the Mumbai Indians.

“I definitely don’t think it’s going to hurt my career or stop me from getting better. I think it’s going to do the opposite. Everyone’s allowed to think what they want. That's absolutely fine. Everyone thinks differently, but from a personal point of view, I think I've made the right decision. At the end of the day, I'm pretty happy with where I am," he added.

‘Not fighting for a spot’

Bethell is yet to leave a mark on the IPL 2026 season. The left-handed batter who hit a century in the T20 World Cup semi-final against India at the Wankhede Stadium has so far recorded scores of 14, 20, 5 and 4, aggregating 43 runs in four matches. However, ahead of the game against Mumbai Indians in Raipur, Bethell said that he isn't fighting for a spot.

“I never really feel like I'm fighting for a spot. At the end of the day, I haven't scored the runs I've wanted to. And that's not helped the team. My aim as a batter is to go out there and score runs and get us off to a good start, and I haven't done that,” said Bethell.

“So it's not from a place of looking behind my back and fighting for a spot, it's more from a hunger to actually contribute to this team. It doesn't feel good when you're not contributing to any wins. And especially now that we've lost the last couple of games, there's a burning desire in there to go out there and put in a match-winning performance,” he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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