"To play with players like that would be really cool" - England all-rounder excited to be Virat Kohli's teammate at RCB in IPL 2025

England all-rounder Jacob Bethell has expressed his excitement at playing alongside Virat Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year. The all-rounder observed that the franchise's fan base is massive, revealing that 'RCB RCB' chants have been rampant at almost every Indian venue.

Bethell will get to experience the IPL for the first time this year after RCB secured his services for a hefty ₹2.60 crore, having set his base price at ₹1.25 crore. Although the 21-year-old got out cheaply on his T20I debut, he played a 24-ball 44-run cameo in his second outing, smashing Adam Zampa for 20 runs in an over.

Speaking after the first ODI against Nagpur on Thursday, Bethell stated, as quoted by The Daily Mail:

"I'm looking forward to it. RCB is a great franchise and I've felt the love over here. Every ground I've been to, as soon as I walk on to the pitch they start chanting: RCB, RCB. There's definitely a lot of support. To play along with the likes of players like that would be really cool."

With England going down in the opening game of the three-match series, Jacob Bethell acknowledged that Indian players made fewer mistakes than them.

"But as soon as you play against someone you realise you're playing the same game and they can make the same mistakes you can. It’s just that those guys obviously got a lot better at not making the mistakes."

Bethell was one of the silver linings in an otherwise underwhelming batting performance by the visitors on Thursday. The southpaw struck a half-century and stitched together a 59-run partnership with captain Jos Buttler. Buttler was the only other England batter to reach fifty as they got bowled out for 248 and eventually lost by four wickets.

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England face a must-win situation in Cuttack

Jos Buttler leads England off the field. (Credits: Getty)

Having lost the opening ODI, England are under pressure already and must win the second game on Sunday in Cuttack to keep the three-match series alive. The Englishmen have already lost the preceding T20I leg by a comprehensive margin of 4-1.

With the Champions Trophy 2025 looming, Jos Buttler and company must win the series against India to gain some momentum for the eight-team event.