During an interview Harry Brook discussed his two-year IPL ban that occurred when he abruptly declined his Delhi Capitals engagement shortly before the start of the 2025 season. The Delhi Capitals acquired Brook through the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah to serve as their player. Two days prior to the start of the tournament he made the decision to withdraw from participation at age 26. Amidst an existing strict regulation the IPL governing council issued warning players who withdraw from participation after their auction without sufficient reasons face a two-year suspension. Brook has spoken about the public dispute to share his insights regarding his choice.
Harry Brook Prioritises England Over IPL, Responds Calmly To Potential Two-Year Ban
“Any player who registers in the auction and, after getting picked, makes himself unavailable before the start of the season will get banned from participating in the tournament and player auction for 2 seasons,” the rule states.
Harry Brook was recently confirmed as England’s white-ball captain, taking over the reins from Jos Buttler. While speaking to reporters in Headingly, Brook confirmed that he will miss franchise competitions to focus on his England career.
When asked about him being banned from the IPL, the right-handed batter said, “They haven’t told me. But if I do get banned, fair play. That’s the rules they put in place, but I’m completely committed to playing cricket for England.”
“So, to lose a little bit of money here and there, I’d take that any day to play for England. I won’t be playing any franchise cricket in the near future and I’ll be prioritising England and whatever games we have with them,” he added.
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Brook Reflects On IPL Withdrawal, Cites Workload And England Commitments As Top Priority
“Having this period after deciding to pull out of the IPL was the right decision for me. It wasn’t an easy decision, obviously, but I’ve got to try and manage my workload. I’ve played a hell of a lot of cricket over the last year and a half and it’s only going to be more going forward,” said Brook.
“I’m not sure how much franchise cricket I’ll be playing in the near future, but my priority is definitely playing for England and trying to play as much cricket for England as I can,” he added.
Brook received a purchase from Delhi Capitals at INR 6.25 crore within the auction process. Since his commitments involved the England team he withdrew from IPL 2025.
Brook shared a statement on Instagram: “I have made the very difficult decision to pull out of the upcoming IPL. I apologise unreservedly to the Delhi Capitals and their supporters.”
“It is a really important time for England cricket, and I want to fully commit to preparing for the upcoming series,” he added.
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