IPL 2026: Will in-form Jacob Bethell get a chance in RCB's XI against SRH?

RCB retained Jacob Bethell for IPL 2026.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to play their opening game of the Indian Premier League 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The RCB vs SRH clash will take place on March 28 at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The Royal Challengers retained the England all-rounder Jacob Bethell for INR 2.60 crore. The 22-year-old will be in the spotlight in the upcoming tournament following his brilliant performance in the T20 World Cup 2026 earlier this month.

Scoring 280 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 152.17, Bethell ended as the highest run-scorer for England in the tournament. Moreover, he also hammered a stunning century in the semi-final against India in a losing cause.

Bethell has been in excellent form for the past year. He also scored his maiden test century in The Ashes 2025-26 in January and slammed his first ODI ton against South Africa last year.

Will Jacob Bethell get a spot in RCB’s playing XI?

Despite Bethell’s stunning form, it will be a big challenge for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to include him in the playing XI in the opening clash against SRH.

Notably, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli are expected to open for RCB in IPL 2026, both of whom played a key role in the title-winning campaign last year. Despite Salt’s dismal form in the T20 World Cup, RCB would not risk changing their opening slot.

Devdutt Padikkal takes the one-down position. Last year, he scored 247 runs in 10 games before getting ruled out due to a hamstring injury. He has impressed with his performance in domestic cricket last year.

In the middle order, RCB have two overseas options of Tim David and Romario Shepherd. Both of them are dangerous death over batters, while Shepherd can also assist with his seam bowling. Dropping them in the opening game would be a big risk.

Moreover, due to Josh Hazlewood’s absence in the initial games, Jacob Duffy is expected to be picked as a replacement in the opening game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be an experienced pacer after Yash Dayal’s ouster. Picking inexperienced pacers Rasikh Salam and Mangesh Yadav might hamper their pace unit.

Therefore, Salt, David, Shepherd, and Duffy are expected to be the four overseas players in RCB’s playing XI. In such a scenario, Bethell might have to warm the bench in the tournament opener. However, he can definitely get opportunities later in the tournament if other batters struggle to perform.

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