Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opener Jacob Bethell has firmly backed his decision to continue playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) despite criticism from certain quarters in England regarding his absence from county cricket ahead of the upcoming Test summer.
The young England batter has been at the centre of a growing debate after former England captain Alastair Cook suggested that Bethell would have benefited more from playing red-ball cricket rather than spending time in the IPL.
Bethell, who has featured as an opener for RCB at the ongoing IPL 2026, believes competing alongside some of the best players in world cricket will ultimately help his growth as a cricketer rather than hinder it.
Jacob Bethell stands by his IPL decision
Speaking ahead of RCB’s IPL 2026 fixture in Raipur, Bethell explained why he believes participating in the IPL is the correct step for his development at this stage of his career.
“This is the marquee tournament of the year, with some of the best cricketers in the world playing in it,” Bethell said. “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.”
The England youngster further stressed that he remains unfazed by outside opinions and is fully satisfied with the decision he has taken regarding his cricketing priorities.
“Everyone's allowed to have their opinions,” he said. “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.”
Bethell opens up on form struggles and batting alongside Virat Kohli
Although Jacob Bethell has managed only modest scores so far in IPL 2026, the left-handed batter admitted that his primary focus remains contributing to the team rather than worrying about competition for places in the playing XI.
“It definitely is tricky to find your rhythm when you're not spending as much time in the middle as you would like. The main thing I'm trying to do personally is always look at what impact I can make in the next game,” Bethell said.
“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,” he added. “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.”
Despite his struggles with consistency, Bethell continues to enjoy the experience of sharing the dressing room with batting superstar Virat Kohli, calling it one of the highlights of his IPL journey.
“It's cool, I've said it multiple times how cool it is to bat with him and be involved in the dressing room with him,” Jacob Bethell reiterated. “I don't think it adds any more pressure [on him]. I think it's just nice to have someone of that calibre in your team, you can count on him.”
The youngster also pointed out that batting alongside Kohli often allows him to play with greater freedom due to the immense attention focused on the former RCB captain.