England batter Jacob Bethell credited his stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025 for his growth, saying that he became a better cricketer after taking part in the cash-rich league.
Bethell could not take part in the Test series against Zimbabwe as he was plying his trade with RCB. Ollie Pope, who was under pressure, scored a century and secured his position at number three for the home series against India, with Bethell unavailable. However, the 21-year-old batter has no regrets about playing in the IPL.
“I wouldn’t say I gave it away for the IPL,” he told Fox Cricket. “The experience I had over there was unbelievable… I came back a better cricketer.”
England persisted with Pope at number three for the first three Tests of the series. Bethell replaced him for the Melbourne Test, which England won inside two days. Playing only his second Ashes Test, Bethell justified his selection by scoring a ton at the SCG, which was also his first hundred in first-class cricket.
“I actually wasn’t batting that well at the start of the series, and then I played some cricket over here, played that Lions game, and throughout the month and a half before playing, I felt my batting was in a better place. It was actually quite nice timing. No one likes to sit on the sidelines. I was champing at the bit to get going, but I think the timing was pretty good,” he added.
The hundred in the Ashes finale has secured Bethell’s number-three position for the long term.
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