KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Jacob Bethell has withdrawn from The Hundred 2026 with a right-knee injury.

• He underwent an MRI scan on Monday with England, awaiting the results.

• The Birmingham Phoenix captain was man of the match in the Lord's ODI.

Why RCB star Jacob Bethell is not available to play for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred 2026

The Hundred begins its sixth edition on Tuesday, having already lost one of its biggest attractions. Jacob Bethell, the Birmingham Phoenix captain and one of English cricket's most marketable young players, has withdrawn from the competition.

The 22-year-old sustained a knee injury during the recently concluded ODI series against India, according to the Telegraph, though it did nothing to dim his performance in the decider at Lord's on Sunday.

Bethell was named man of the match in that game, scoring 91 and taking two wickets, including the crucial dismissal of Rohit Sharma to end a century that had put England's total under genuine threat.

What we know about the injury

Bethell underwent an MRI scan on his right knee on Monday morning, with the England medical team awaiting the results before determining how long he will be sidelined. The withdrawal has been described as precautionary at this stage, meaning the severity remains unclear.

Phoenix will now begin their campaign without the captain they had built their leadership structure around for the tournament. The timing is the real concern for England. The Test series against Pakistan begins on August 19, a month away, and Bethell has become a fixture at number three in the red-ball side since his rapid rise over the past 18 months.

Should surgery prove necessary, England would be searching for a new number three at the same time as they hunt for a Test captain and a head coach. Brendon McCullum was sacked from the red-ball role earlier this month, and Ben Stokes has retired from international cricket.

A setback that costs Bethell more than game time

The cricketing loss is obvious, but the leadership implications may matter more. Bethell is being groomed for captaincy by England, having already led a T20 series in Ireland last year, and The Hundred would have offered another month of running a side under pressure.

That experience carries real weight right now. If Harry Brook takes the Test captaincy, England are unlikely to want him leading in all three formats, and Bethell is the obvious alternative for the white-ball job, given his age and standing.

For Phoenix, the blow is straightforward. They spent £340,000 retaining him at the auction, one of the highest fees in the men's competition, and have now lost both their captain and their most bankable name before a ball has been bowled.