On a night when the world witnessed the return to form of the ‘Chase Master’ Virat Kohli, the icon produced an extraordinary unbeaten 105 to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru to victory in a must-win clash against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium on May 13.
After weeks of debate surrounding Jacob Bethell and his playing time for RCB before compatriot Phil Salt was ruled out through injury, the young Englishman found himself at the centre of attention once again after a bizarre moment following his dismissal — an incident that immediately caught the eye of everyone watching the game.
Bethell started brightly with a commanding 15 off 12 balls, including two fours and a six, but failed to convert his start during the 192-run chase before falling to KKR pacer Kartik Tyagi, who finished with impressive figures of 3/32.
The 22-year-old left-hander suffered an unfortunate dismissal after attempting a pull shot off a Kartik bouncer, only for the ball to take a thick top edge and deflect off his helmet before looping back towards the bowler for a simple caught-and-bowled dismissal. In the middle of the sequence, Bethell unknowingly dropped his gold chain and walked back towards the dugout without realising it.
Devdutt Padikkal, who walked in at No. 3 immediately after the dismissal, quickly spotted the missing chain near the crease and handed it over to the umpire, who safely returned it to Bethell before play resumed.
Bethell was acquired by RCB for ₹2.60 crore ahead of the 2025 IPL season, but hardly received consistent opportunities in his debut campaign due to the franchise’s settled batting lineup and overseas combinations. However, Salt’s injury has opened the door for the youngster later in the season to showcase his talent on the biggest stage in franchise cricket and help RCB defend their maiden IPL title won in 2025.
Still, the young Englishman appears to be enduring a shaky start, searching for a breakthrough innings after managing only 85 runs in six matches at a below-par strike rate of around 120. While Bethell’s capabilities as a clutch batter are highly regarded, RCB will hope he continues to develop rapidly under captain Rajat Patidar and gradually fills the void left by the injured Salt, who had formed a dominant opening partnership alongside Kohli.
The Player of the Match award went to Kohli, who once again showed why he is regarded as the ‘Chase Master’ and arguably one of the greatest finishers the game has ever seen. He recorded his ninth IPL century with an unbeaten 105 off just 60 balls, underlining his improved strike rate compared to previous seasons and proving his continued relevance in the rapidly evolving format even at the age of 37.
Bethell will now hope to draw valuable lessons from one of the best in the business as he looks to rediscover form ahead of the crucial qualifier stage of the IPL season and a long international campaign with England cricket team.
