One of the Indian Premier League’s greatest strengths has always been its ability to bring together cricketers from different countries, cultures, and generations. Every season creates unique learning opportunities, and for England batter Jordan Cox, IPL 2026 proved a career-defining experience despite not playing a full match for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Cox spent the season largely as RCB’s twelfth man during the franchise’s title-winning campaign.
While some critics questioned whether the 25-year-old had sacrificed valuable County Championship cricket for a place on the bench, the English batter believes the experience was worth far more than game time alone.
Speaking after the IPL season, Cox explained why being part of one of the world’s biggest T20 leagues was an opportunity he simply could not ignore. “If you haven’t been around this competition, you don’t know what it’s like. It’s life-changing. Why would you not go over and learn from the best?”
Although his appearances were limited to substitute duties and training sessions, Cox had something many young cricketers dream about — daily access to some of the biggest names in world cricket. Chief among them was Virat Kohli, whose influence on the RCB dressing room left a lasting impression on the Essex batter.
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Jordan Cox revealed that one of the most surprising aspects of his IPL journey was Kohli’s willingness to share knowledge and mentor younger players. “He will give you every single bit of information he has in his brain to try and help you, which for me was something that I didn’t expect. For someone like that who’s achieved everything you’d want to achieve in the game, he gives you everything.”
The experience wasn’t limited to conversations alone. Cox also spent significant time batting alongside elite players during training sessions, helping him develop areas of his game that he believes will benefit him in the years ahead.
Having already established himself as one of Essex’s most consistent performers with a first-class batting average above 60, Cox viewed the IPL as an opportunity to broaden his skillset, particularly against spin bowling. “I’ve been lucky enough to bat with VK a few times in the nets, which has been pretty awesome. Even batting with Salty, someone that’s been the No. 1-ranked T20 batter in the world, to learn different types of shots and opportunities to take down bowling. I feel like my game against spin has gone to another level now.”
The “Salty” Cox referred to was fellow England international Phil Salt, another key figure in RCB’s successful season. Despite his admiration for the IPL, Cox remains committed to achieving success in Test cricket, which he still considers the pinnacle of the sport.
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However, he admits that the chance to be part of an IPL-winning squad and learn from some of cricket’s greatest players was impossible to refuse. “The IPL’s the marquee competition in the world. Test cricket’s the biggest thing, and I really want to give it a good crack. But the things I’ve learned here and the calibre of players that are here is something that, at that moment in time, I just couldn’t turn down. It was a dream come true, really, just to be in an IPL team.”
With his IPL experience now behind him and England Lions duties on the horizon, Cox returns home carrying lessons that could play a crucial role in shaping the next phase of his career.
