The Indian Premier League (IPL) has served as a platform for youngsters, not just local but also overseas, to showcase their talent. Over the years, many cricketers marked their arrival at the international stage after performing in the IPL and went on to become icons. While Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is one player who has done wonders with the bat, IPL icon AB de Villiers has put Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) young gun Jacob Bethell in the same bracket as the 15-year-old.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, De Villiers expressed his admiration for Bethell, the English opener who was bought by the Bengaluru franchise with huge expectations.
“I am pretty sure I have mentioned his name a few times. I do agree with you. He’s a wonderful, wonderful player. Plenty of obstacles ahead of him. Reminds me, very different ages actually, but both are left-handers, reminds me of Sooryavanshi. Fantastic talent, huge future ahead of them. Bright, bright, bright superstars of the game of cricket, but plenty still to learn, plenty of obstacles still to go through,” he said.
While there’s no denying the potential that Bethell has, De Villiers’ comparisons of him with Sooryavanshi seem a little premature since he has only scored 43 runs so far in 4 matches for RCB.
“Jacob is not as young as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but with a similar kind of credentials, almost. Superstar talent, but plenty still to learn. Once they gain experience over time, I feel those two players will be unstoppable. Hopefully, Jacob will stay with RCB, I have no doubt that they will have plans of keeping hold of him for many years to come. I do believe he has got the ability to win plenty of games for RCB in the future,” he added.
RCB won the bidding war for Bethell in the IPL 2025 auction for a fee of Rs 2.60 crores.
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