Jacob Bethell missed RCB vs SRH match due to injury [Source: AP]England's young batting sensation Jacob Bethell missed RCB's crucial IPL 2026 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad. At toss, the Royal Challengers' captain Rajat Patidar confirmed that Bethell was ruled out of the game due to an injury. Bethell hasn't had a great IPL campaign this year. The swashbuckling southpaw has managed only 96 runs across seven innings at a miserable average of 13.71. If his poor form wasn't enough, Bethell's injury setback has further jeopardised his IPL 2026 journey. Amid the youngster's struggle with abysmal batting form and fitness setback, former England captain Michael Vaughan has urged Bethell to leave the RCB camp ahead of the IPL playoffs. Michael Vaughan tells Jacob Bethell to leave RCB camp and return to EnglandJacob Bethell played two matches for the Royal Challengers last season and struck a valuable fifty for the franchise. He made his IPL 2026 debut for RCB in the absence of Phil Salt, who missed eight consecutive matches due to a thumb injury. Despite the Royal Challengers' management backing him, Jacob Bethell couldn't live up to the expectations with the bat. The left-handed batter registered a string of low scores before an injury sidelined him from the RCB Vs SRH encounter. In his absence, Venkatesh Iyer opened the batting with Virat Kohli, with captain Rajat Patidar coming in at number four. Also Read: Alastair Cook Attacks IPL After Jacob Bethell, Indirectly Targets Kevin Pietersen For BootlickingAfter the match concluded in a convincing SRH victory, Michael Vaughan opined that Bethell should immediately depart for England if he's indeed injured. The former English captain reckoned that although the IPL is a valuable learning curve for the youngster, he must undergo a fitness assessment at home to determine his availability for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. "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 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," Michael Vaughan said on Cricbuzz. “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," he added. Why is Jacob Bethell a key player for England in Tests?Regarded as one of the cleanest strikers of the ball, Jacob Bethell has been an asset for the England Test side. Bethell, who made his debut against New Zealand in 2024, has amassed 476 runs, including one hundred and three fifties, at an average of 43.27. His ability to play impactful knocks as a middle-order batter makes Bethell a key member of the English Test side, run by the fearless duo of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes. England vs New Zealand Test series schedule 2026England will take on New Zealand in a three-match Test series on home soil right after the conclusion of the IPL 2026. The first Test starts on June 4 at the iconic Lord's, while the subsequent matches begin on June 17 and 25, at The Oval and Trent Bridge, respectively. Also Read: Kavya Maran Openly Deems Krunal Pandya's Bowling Illegal
