RCB All-Rounder Delivers Match-Winning Spell, Strengthening His Bid for More Chances in IPL 2026
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Jacob Bethell showed his bowling utility in the third T20I against Sri Lanka last night. The track was assisting slow bowlers, and he made full use of the conditions in Pallekele.
Bethell took four wickets for 11 runs at an economy rate of 3.10 in 3.3 overs, dismissing big batters like Dunith Wellalage and Dasun Shanaka. The RCB player was introduced to the attack in the eighth over, but after bowling the initial set, he was taken off before being reintroduced in the 15th over.
In his third over of the spell, the 18th of the innings, Jacob Bethell completely changed the match’s direction by taking as many as three wickets in six deliveries. This over derailed Sri Lanka’s chase and put England in a commanding position out of nowhere.
Eventually, he took the final wicket in the last over of the match and helped England defend 128 and win by 12 runs. Bethell ended up as his team’s best bowler and made up for a poor batting show earlier in the first innings to cap off the rubber with a clean sweep.
Will Jacob Bethell get a place in RCB playing XI in IPL 2026?
RCB have one of the most settled batting lineups, and they won’t need to make too many changes from the last season. The four overseas players for RCB will likely be Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, and Josh Hazlewood.
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Given that the other three are lower middle-order batters or bowlers, Bethell’s only realistic chance comes if Salt is unavailable for any reason. Hence, he will mostly act as a backup to Phil Salt, who will be a first-choice opener with Virat Kohli in IPL 2026 after his heroics with the willow last season.
Salt can also keep the wickets, though Jitesh Sharma mostly played as a wicketkeeper-batter last year. Meanwhile, Bethell’s bowling might not be as effective on flat IPL decks, where spinners hardly get any purchase off the surface, and his England teammate remains a more dynamic batter at the top.
Even last season, the young all-rounder played only two games, and Salt was unavailable for both matches. That said, Jacob Bethell is still a valuable asset for RCB, and his recent improvements as an all-rounder will definitely force the defending champions to give him more chances in IPL 2026.
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