Virat Kohli's difficult week in IPL 2026 continued to draw attention after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter was mocked on the latest episode of the ‘Stick To Cricket' podcast featuring Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook, David Lloyd and Phil Tufnell on Wednesday, May 13.
The former RCB captain had started the season strongly and briefly looked like a serious Orange Cap contender. Kohli scored 379 runs in his first 10 matches at a strike rate above 164 before suffering a sharp dip in form.
The 37-year-old is currently on a run of back-to-back ducks against Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians, including a first-ball golden duck against MI, the eighth golden duck of his IPL career.
The latest exchange on the ‘Stick To Cricket' podcast was tied to an earlier debate surrounding young England batter Jacob Bethell. In April, Cook had questioned whether Bethell was wasting valuable development time by sitting on the RCB bench instead of playing county cricket for Warwickshire.
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Cook had argued that Bethell, who scored a century during England's Ashes tour earlier this year, should prioritise red-ball cricket ahead of England's upcoming Test assignments rather than “sitting on his a* at the IPL not doing anything.”
Here's a look at what Cook had said on the podcast last month.
Kevin Pietersen later hit back strongly on social media, insisting Cook did not understand the value of being inside an IPL dressing room. Pietersen defended the learning environment around players like Kohli, claiming youngsters benefit simply from training and spending time around elite cricketers in high-pressure situations.
That debate has resurfaced now, with Bethell breaking into the RCB XI following Phil Salt's injury and contributing with useful runs.
Vaughan brought up Bethell's run-a-ball contribution of 27 against Mumbai Indians, prompting Tufnell to jokingly respond: “Oh, lovely knock.”
Lloyd then added: “So, the mischief of this - I mentioned that word again - is that you can learn so much from batting with Virat Kohli, you're out first ball.”
The remark, aimed at Pietersen's earlier defence of Bethell learning from Kohli in the IPL environment, triggered laughter across the panel.
Watch David Lloyd and the panel joke about Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell below.
Despite Kohli's struggles over the last two matches, RCB remain strongly placed in the IPL 2026 playoff race. The defending champions are currently second on the table with one of the best net run rates in the competition, while Kohli, despite back-to-back ducks, remains the side's leading run-scorer this season.
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