Although Jordan Cox Despite not playing a single match for Royal Challengers Bangalore during their IPL 2026 title-winning campaign, they can still call themselves IPL champions. His primary contribution to the franchise came as a substitute outfielder throughout the season.
Away from the IPL, Cox is looking forward to his long-awaited Test debut for England. The 25-year-old was in line to receive his first Test cap during England's tour of New Zealand but was ruled out with a broken thumb in the nets, paving the way for Jacob Bethell to make his debut. Cox then suffered another setback when he missed the only Test against Zimbabwe due to a side strain.
From then on, Cox and Bethel developed a close friendship. However he admitted that it was difficult to see Bethel receive the Test cap that he believed would have been his.
“It was a tough thing to be in there. But he's taken it with both hands and it's incredible to see what he's become. For someone who hasn't scored a first-class century… to come in and shut everyone down, it shows he was the man for the job,” Cox was quoted as saying by ESPN.
Cox and Bethell have shared many milestones in their England careers, having made their international debuts together in a T20I against Australia before appearing on each other's ODI debuts. The pair have since developed a close friendship and Cox hopes that whenever the opportunity arises, Bethel will also be there to watch him make his long-awaited Test debut.
Bethel's recent injury could have called into question Cox's decision to play in the IPL as it would have created another vacancy in England's Test team. However, this scenario appears unlikely, as scans revealed no serious damage, putting Bethel on track to keep his place on the team.
“The IPL is the biggest competition in the world. Test cricket is the biggest thing, and I really want to give it a good go. But the things I've learned here and the caliber of players we have here are such that, at the time, I couldn't turn it down… being in an IPL team was really a dream come true,” Cox said.
His focus, then, is on converting the intangible benefits of his time in the IPL into cold, hard work over the next few weeks to earn him a place in the England team: firstly, for their white-ball series against India in July, and perhaps also for their Test series against Pakistan after the Hundred.
Cox said, “I feel like I've been at my peak for three years. Hopefully, I'll come back and hit the ground running. That would be ideal – and then whatever happens will happen.”
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