The southpaw was suffering terrible form until Tuesday
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took a gamble during the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction when they acquired 21-year-old England allrounder Jacob Bethell for INR 2.6 crores.
After a terrible run of form with both ball and bat in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) 2024-25, there were detractors who questioned whether RCB were right for punting so much money on the Guyanaese-born youngster.
He had scored just 103 runs from 7 matches for Melbourne Renegades and claimed just two wickets with left-arm spin.
However, the youngster seemed to have turned a leaf and got back his form with a stunning 87 off 50 balls in Tuesday’s Big Bash League clash against Hobart Hurricanes.
Renegades, who are currently seventh in the eight-team table, looked to be collapsing after being reduced to 69/4 in the 12th over when Bethell took over the control.
Adding 41 runs off 31 balls for the fifth wicket with Renegades captain Will Sutherland, Bethell took the score past 100.
After Sutherland’s dismissal in the 17th over, Bethell became the lone warrior for the team by clobbering three sixes and two boundaries in the last three overs to take the score past 150.
The Renegades finished with 154/7 in 20 overs thanks to Bethell’s heroics which had eight boundaries and four sixes.
So far in the match, Bethell has bowled two overs and has claimed the wicket of Hurricanes’ batter Charlie Wakim.Hurricanes are also in a similar position as the Renegades at 69/4.
Bethell made his England debut across all three formats last year after impressive performances in The Hundred for Welsh Fire and Birmingham Phoenix. He was excellent with the bat in the three-match Test series against New Zealand scoring three fifties in the second innings of all matches. He also claimed 3-72 in the third Test at Hamilton. England had won the series 2-1.
Bethell needs more good performances like that against Hurricanes if he needs to pip an experienced head like Krunal Pandya off RCB’s playing XI in IPL 2025.
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