Harry Brook, the talented batsman from England, withdrew from the upcoming 18th season of the Indian Premier League absence for the second straight season. His decision sees him perilously close to incurring a two-year ban on playing in any IPL in the future.
According to reports from ESPNCricinfo, Brook’s non-participation was communicated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India last week, by the England and Wales Cricket Board. This was thereafter communicated to his franchise, the Delhi Capitals, who acquired him for Rs 6.25 crores in last year’s auction.
The IPL has yet to issue an official statement on the matter, and Brook has not justified his withdrawal. He is now in line to be considered as a likely candidate for the white-ball captaincy of England after Jos Buttler’s disappointing run during the 2023 edition of the 50-over World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy without a win.
Brook, who has an England contract until the summer of 2025 and plays in all formats, might be citing the workload as a reason for his withdrawal. Brook’s decision to withdraw could see him incur a two-year ban, a newly introduced provision which took effect prior to the IPL Mega Auction 2025.
This has been introduced following widespread frustration from all ten franchises over last-minute pull-outs from IPL, especially from English players, in recent years.
In their communication to franchises last September, the IPL stated, “Any [foreign] player who registers for [an] auction and makes himself unavailable after being selected before the start of the season will incur a ban from participating in the IPL/IPL auction for two seasons.”
The governing council of the league has made it clear that the only exception will be “in case of injury or medical condition, which must be confirmed by the player’s home board.”
