Former England captain Michael Vaughan has asked the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Jacob Bethell to return home to the UK from IPL 2026.
Vaughan’s remark comes after Bethell missed RCB’s loss to the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on Friday with a finger injury. Vaughan said that it was best for Bethell to return so that he could be fit in time for England’s Test series against New Zealand next month.
The first Test of that series will be played at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London from June 4.
“If Jacob Bethell’s injured, he should go back” – Michael Vaughan
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Vaughan said that Bethell should return to England, especially if he’s injured, so that the England team management could assess his injury and decide whether to field him at Lord’s.
As it stands, Bethell is likely to bat at No. 3 for England in the match. If he is not available, then one of James Rew or Joe Root could play at that slot in his place.
“If Jacob Bethell’s injured, he should be on the next plane home to England. England plays a Test match on June 4th, making sure that, you know, England has a look at him before potentially, to see if he is fit or not going to be fit for the Test match against New Zealand. I would think he’s better off back in the UK, just getting assessed,” Vaughan said.
Also Read: Revealed: Why Virat Kohli rejected handshake with Travis Head in IPL 2026?
“I’m a big believer in the IPL” – Vaughan
Vaughan went on to say that while he completely believed that the IPL was helpful for young players like Jacob Bethell, he didn’t think the southpaw should stay in India, especially since England’s training camp is coming up.
“I’m being a bit old school, I guess they’ll say he’s got to stay till the end, but if he’s not going to play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, England have got a training camp this next week. He should be back home in the UK. You know I’m a big believer in the IPL. If you’re going to play, it grows your game massively. And obviously, when you’re a young player in the dressing room with lights, I completely get it,” Vaughan continued.
“He’s learned a lot last year” – Vaughan
Jacob Bethell was originally signed by RCB in IPL 2025 and played two matches in their title-winning campaign. In 2026, he got more chances to play.
All of his playing time has mostly come due to injuries to Phil Salt, both this year and the last. But Salt is now back with the RCB camp after his injury last year and will likely immediately slot in to RCB’s Playing XI in the IPL playoffs.
Michael Vaughan spoke about the experience Bethell gained and said that it was imperative for him to be back with the England team under circumstances like these.
“As a young player, he was here last year, so he learned a lot. This year, he’s played a little bit, but hasn’t had a huge amount of success. But if he is injured, England has a training camp this week. Baz McCullum arrives in the UK on Sunday morning, and I think the training camp starts Monday. He should be back in the UK with the team,” he added.
Jacob Bethell in IPL 2026
As pointed out by Vaughan, Jacob Bethell has not had any success in IPL 2026. Even though RCB have finished at the top of the points table, they have to do so despite Bethell’s poor form.
In 7 matches this year, Bethell has made just 96 runs at an average of 13.71 and a strike rate of 124.67. His highest score has been just 27, and he has crossed 20 just twice.
