Former England Captain Michael Vaughan has urged young England batter Jacob Bethell to leave the Royal Challengers Bengaluru camp and return home ahead of the IPL 2026 playoffs if he is not expected to feature regularly. Vaughan’s comments came after Bethell missed RCB’s final league-stage match against Sunrisers Hyderabad due to a finger injury.

Speaking during a discussion on Cricbuzz, Vaughan said England should prioritise assessing Bethell’s fitness before the upcoming Test series against New Zealand national cricket team, scheduled to begin on June 4. He argued that the youngster would benefit more from joining England’s training camp rather than remaining with Bengaluru if he is not part of the first-choice playing XI for the playoffs.

Vaughan acknowledged the value of the IPL experience for emerging players but maintained that international commitments should take precedence in Bethell’s case. He noted that the left-handed batter had already spent considerable time around the RCB setup over the past two seasons and would gain more from training with the England squad under head coach Brendon McCullum ahead of the crucial red-ball assignment.

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Earlier, former England captain Alastair Cook had expressed a similar opinion, suggesting Bethell should focus on his long-term development in Test cricket. Vaughan echoed those concerns, stating that England’s training camp was beginning imminently and insisting the youngster should already be back in the United Kingdom if his injury ruled him out of immediate IPL action.

RCB captain Rajat Patidar confirmed at the toss before the SRH match that Bethell had been sidelined because of a finger injury, with Patidar himself returning to the playing XI. Bengaluru eventually lost the match by 55 runs but still secured a top-of-the-table finish in the IPL 2026 league standings due to a superior Net Run Rate.

Former India pacer Zaheer Khan, who was also part of the discussion panel, suggested there may be financial considerations influencing Bethell’s decision to remain with the franchise during the playoffs. With RCB advancing into the knockout stage, questions over player availability and national commitments are expected to remain a key talking point ahead of the IPL playoffs and England’s home Test season.

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