Jacob Bethell to miss IPL playoffs due to finger injury

23 May 2026

The England batter will return home where ECB medical staff will assess him for his availability ahead of the Lord's Test vs New Zealand from June 4

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's top-order batter Jacob Bethell will return to England due to a left finger injury he sustained in the league game against Punjab Kings on May 17 in IPL 2026. He will not feature for the defending champions in the upcoming playoffs. Bethell played in seven games for RCB this season, scoring a total of 96 runs.

An ECB release stated that Bethell will now be monitored by the England Men's medical team on his return to determine his availability for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's starting on June 4.

Bethell missed RCB's last league stage game against SRH in Hyderabad due to this injury. In that fixture, RCB opened the batting with Venkatesh Iyer, who made a big impact with a 19-ball 44. For the playoffs, RCB could also have the services of Phil Salt, who is back with the team after missing a month of action due to a finger injury of his own.

Though RCB lost the game in Hyderabad, they finished top of the points table to set up a Qualifier 1 clash against Gujarat Titans on May 26 in Dharamsala.