A major drama broke out during the podcast when England ace Alastair Cook had an in-depth discussion with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) mentor Dinesh Karthik and director of cricket Mo Bobt on young England batsman Jacob Bethel’s participation in IPL 2026.
The conversation between Cook, Karthik and Bobat turned into a heated exchange over whether IPL commitments should come before national team preparations.
Cook stood behind England’s interests while Karthik and Bobat defended the value of the IPL experience, leading to a tense but interesting conversation. Meanwhile, Andy Flower has rejected the role of England Test coach, choosing RCB over ECB.
Mo Bobat raises Jacob Bethel controversy
It all started when Mo Bobt revealed that there was a huge debate over Jacob Bethel staying with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) instead of joining England early to prepare for the home Test matches against New Zealand.
He suggested that Cook had played a large role in the debate. “There was a big fuss about Bethel, which was picked up by Cookie, I think, about Jacob Bethel being in the IPL and not being here to prepare,” Mo Bobt said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.
Alastair Cook says England should always come first
The former England captain was chided by RCB’s director of cricket and made his stance clear by saying that the England Test team should always come first. Meanwhile, Jacob Bethel has been ruled out of The Hundred 2026 due to injury.
He questioned why Jacob Bethell, one of England’s expected No. 3 batsmen, was sitting on the IPL bench instead of spending his valuable time preparing with the national team ahead of such an important Test.
Alastair Cook interjected and said firmly, “What I’m saying is I think this is where it’s really important. I’m here for a Test match in a week’s time, and one of our No. 3 players (Jacob Battell) is sitting on the bench… and you can see what I want to do.”
“I think it’s really important that English cricket is more important than the IPL or the franchises. That’s what I think, and obviously, I’m not allowed to think that, because the IPL is the best tournament in the world.”
Dinesh Karthik joined the debate
Dinesh Karthik immediately joined the debate and said that Cook is completely free to express his opinion. However, the RCB mentor and batting coach said that Cook’s point was fair and worth listening to, but there are two sides to everything.
Karthik said, “No, it is not so” (should he not comment on IPL). I believe you should always say what you said. And I think what you said is absolutely spot on.
Alastair Cook refuses to back down in RCB vs England duty row
However, Cook stood by his argument. He pointed out that Bethel has already spent time sitting on the bench in the IPL and learning from senior players, but he felt there comes a stage when a player should focus on preparing for national duty.
Cook signed off by saying, “So, I’m sitting here, my number three team, I really want to win, which is England; no disrespect to RCB and all those franchises and the London spirit, I want England to be the most successful team.”
One of the most heated debates in stick to cricket!
You won’t want to miss this… tomorrow at 8am. pic.twitter.com/NylsQZ1mTn
– Stick to Cricket (@StickToCricket) July 21, 2026