Jacob Bethell

Born in Barbados, to a family that lived cricket, the talent to reach greater heights was written on the wall. Having done his schooling in the Caribbean Islands, he moved to England at the age of 13. 

Bethell’s impressive showing in club cricket earned him a scholarship at Rugby School, where the director of cricket and former Warwickshire captain, Mike Powell, guided him. The youngster honed the skills with both the willow and the sphere, with a 202 against Marlborough College in Rugby School’s annual two-day fixture being the highlight of his teenage cricket. 

Bethell trained with Warwickshire Club before earning a contract in 2021. The all-rounder’s T20 Blast debut came the next year; the same year when he smashed a 42-ball 88 in the quarter-final against South Africa in the U19 World Cup.

Bethell’s versatility with both bat and ball, as witnessed in the domestic tournaments, was pivotal in landing him an England debut in 2024. He smoked 20 runs off Adam Zampa’s over in the white ball series against Australia, scoring three fifties including a 194-run chase completion with Liam Livingstone. 

Bethell’s exploits with the bat extracted a Test debut as the all-rounder was a part of the Three Lions tour to New Zealand for a three-match Test series. He scored 260 runs from six innings at an average of 52, England’s second-highest run-getter in the series after Harry Brook. 

Bethell also earned a lucrative IPL contract with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2024 mega auction in Riyadh. The Harrison College alumni’s ability to bat at any position and chip in with more than a handy spin, aligned with the franchise’s expectations for IPL 2025, as they aim to earn their maiden silverware. 

(As of March 2025)