England’s young cricketer, Jacob Bethell, is thrilled to share the dressing room with legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Bethell will be playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2025.
The youngster was signed by the franchise for INR 2.60 crore, more than double his base price of INR 1.25 crore. This will be Bethell’s first IPL season, and he is excited to play alongside one of the modern greats, Virat Kohli.
Jacob Bethell Thrilled to Share Dressing Room with Virat Kohli
After the first ODI between India and England in Nagpur, Jacob Bethell was asked about his upcoming IPL debut. The left-hander is already feeling the love for the franchise, as he is greeted with chants of “RCB, RCB” wherever he goes.
Bethell is eagerly looking forward to sharing the dressing room with Virat Kohli, who has been a talismanic player for the franchise over the years. However, he aims to treat the IPL games the same as any other and not put undue pressure on himself.
“I’m looking forward to it. RCB is a fantastic franchise, and I’ve felt the love here. Every ground I’ve been to, as soon as I walk onto the pitch, they start chanting ‘RCB, RCB.’ There’s a lot of support. Playing alongside players like that would be really cool,” Bethell was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
“But once you play against someone, you realize you’re playing the same game, and they can make the same mistakes you can. It’s just that those guys have gotten a lot better at not making mistakes,” he added.
Jacob Bethell’s Impressive Start to International Career
Jacob Bethell is already seen as the future of English cricket from a very young age. The 21-year-old left-hander has shades of Ben Stokes in his batting and is also a handy left-arm spinner.
Bethell has the ability to bat at any position in the batting order. While he is batting in the lower order in the ongoing series against India, he has also been used as the No. 3 batter in Test cricket. He has excelled at that spot with his ability to counter-attack.
Bethell has played 3 Tests, 9 ODIs, and 10 T20Is so far. He already averages over 50 in Test cricket and has a strike rate close to 150 in T20Is. He is also in England’s squad for the Champions Trophy and could play a key role for his team in the tournament.
Virat Kohli to Lead RCB in IPL 2025?
Virat Kohli is currently the highest run-getter in IPL history, with over 8000 runs in 252 matches at an average of 38.66 and a strike rate of 131.97. He is one of the greats of the IPL but has yet to lift the trophy.
Kohli is also the frontrunner to become RCB’s captain for the upcoming IPL season. The team did not retain Faf du Plessis in the auction, leaving them with limited captaincy options other than Kohli himself.