India, May 26 -- Jason Gillespie has launched a sharp attack on Kevin Pietersen after the former England batter dismissed Sir Alastair Cook's view on Jacob Bethell's IPL stint, turning the debate around the young England batter's game time into another flashpoint in the long-running IPL versus county cricket argument.

Bethell had been part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2026 campaign but spent a large part of the season outside the XI. Cook had argued on the Stick to Cricket podcast that the 22-year-old would have been better served returning to England and playing for Warwickshire, especially with England's Test summer approaching and Bethell being viewed as a possible top-order option.

"Bethell shouldn't really be it because he'...