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Two former England greats have differed over the future of young batter Jacob Bethell following remarks on his participation in the Indian Premier League.
Former England captain Alastair Cook had urged Bethell to prioritise county cricket over the ongoing IPL in order to aid his development for upcoming national fixtures.
Cook said Bethell had remained unused by Royal Challengers Bengaluru and advised him to return to Warwickshire rather than “sitting on his arse at the IPL not doing anything”.
His remarks drew a response from former England batter Kevin Pietersen, who defended the youngster’s presence in the tournament.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Pietersen said Cook had “no idea” what it is like to be part of the IPL environment, adding that exposure to top players would benefit Bethell.
Alastair Cook has absolutely NO IDEA what it's like to be in the IPL. What's it's like to always be around the best players in the world.
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) April 23, 2026
So his opinion on Jacob Bethell doesn't matter at all.
Stay in India, Jacob. I know, even though you're not playing, you're learning and…
He urged the player to remain in India, saying that even without playing, he would learn and improve.
It is understood that Bethell has yet to feature in a match for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the ongoing IPL 2026, though he played two matches for the franchise in the 2025 edition.
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