Jacob Bethell of Royal Challengers Bengaluru plays a shot during Match 54 of the TATA Indian Premier League 2026 between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur, India, on May 10, 2026. (CREIMAS)Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday announced that England international Jacob Bethell will return to England after getting injured in a match against Punjab Kings and is expected to play no further part in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Bethell will be assessed by the England medical team ahead of their Test series against New Zealand, set to start on June 4. This means that the England international will not be available for RCB when they play Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday.“Jacob Bethell sustained an injury to his left ring finger during our game against PBKS. He will return to England to be assessed ahead of their Test series,” the IPL franchise posted on X.“The England and Wales Cricket Board has agreed with Royal Challengers Bangalore that top-order batter Jacob Bethell will return to the UK after sustaining a left ring finger injury while playing in the Indian Premier League. He will be fully assessed and monitored by the England Men’s medical team on his return to determine his availability for selection for the Rothesay first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, starting on Thursday 4 June,” England also confirmed the developments on their official X account. 홊홛홛홞환홞홖홡 혼홣홣홤홪홣환홚홢홚홣황: Jacob Bethell sustained an injury to his left ring finger during our game against PBKS. He will return to England to be assessed ahead of their Test series. ❤️啕홶횎횝 횠횎횕횕 횜횘횘횗, 홹홱! 輸 횆횎’횕횕 횖횒횜횜 횑횊횟횒횗횐 횢횘횞… pic.twitter.com/x6ipurfteA— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 23, 2026Bethell, who was drafted in after regular RCB opener Phil Salt sustained an injury, didn’t make much of an impact before getting hurt himself, scoring just 96 runs in 7 matches.Earlier in the month, Bethell had found himself in the middle of a spat between two of England’s greatest batters without actually uttering a word himself. And surprise, surprise! It’s got to do with the IPL.Also Read | RCB’s Jacob Bethell: ‘Watching Virat Kohli chase, you understand art of batting’During the first few weeks of the tournament when the young England left-hander constantly sat on the bench for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, former captain Alastair Cook opined that Bethell would be better served by returning home and playing some county cricket to be in the best position to perform well for England when they play Test cricket next. Bethell famously scored a century in Sydney during the ill-fated Ashes tour. It’s the last Test the team has played.Official Statement – Jacob BethellThe England and Wales Cricket Board has agreed with Royal Challengers Bangalore that top-order batter Jacob Bethell will return to the UK after sustaining a left ring finger injury while playing in the Indian Premier League.He will be fully… pic.twitter.com/ruEFdDPIqf— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 23, 2026Never the favourite child of the English cricket establishment, Pietersen countered that Bethell would benefit by being around some of the best players in the world and learning from them, even if he was not playing. For good measure, he added that Cook has “absolutely no idea what it’s like to be in the IPL.”But Cook did not let the matter rest, suggesting there’s only so much a young player can learn without actually playing.“I just gave my opinion and I can justify it by saying that at the time he wasn’t playing. Last year as well, he went to the IPL and didn’t play either, so he’s already had that benefit once or twice. In my opinion, he could have come back and actually played some cricket. Ironically, since all this has come out, he’s now played a bit,” Cook said on the Stick to Cricket podcastStay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:IPL 2026Royal Challengers Bangalore