IPL 2025: England's Harry Brook Withdraws, Faces Possible Two-Year Ban

IPL's new rule: 2-year ban for withdrawal

As a matter of fact, the IPL's governing council was sick of overseas players disappearing and reappearing as frequently as a bad Wi-Fi signal when they launched a tough new policy last September. It's simple: if you get chosen in the auction, and then the season is about to start but you bail out with no note from your home board, then they will ban you from IPL and its auctions for 144 weeks (2 years). 
 

So, it's an easy-to-understand agreement. No if's, no but's, just a mighty swift "bye-bye 'til 2027". Harry managed to escape one IPL season in 2024 when he lost his grandmother, but now his second extraction has made anger boil over the limits of the Delhi Capitals, and the irresistible force of the rulebook is aiming for a fatality.

Brook’s shocking decision to pull out of IPL 2025

“I apologize unreservedly to the Delhi Capitals and their supporters,” Brook added, probably while hiding behind his couch. “Playing for my country remains my priority and focus.” Noble, sure, but the timing couldn’t be worse—IPL 2025 kicks off on March 22, with Delhi facing Lucknow Super Giants on the 24th. The Capitals, who were banking on Brooks’ middle-order fireworks, are now left scrambling like a team chasing 20 runs off the last over.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) broke Brook’s exit news to BCCI last week, making Delhi pick up the slack. So, is it his workload? Liberty to be a captain? After Jos Buttler’s withdrawal from white-ball captaincy and The Three Lions’ disappointing performance in the Champions Trophy, Harry Brook’s name is on the lips of many as a prospective new leader. Could it be just a simple transition from that to promptly taking over as the coach of the English national team instead of having a rough time in India? 

Perhaps he has just overworked—18 months left of his ECB contract and an all-format schedule means that it’s humanly impossible not to get tired anymore, even if you are a cyborg from another planet.

The IPL’s not budging, though. Unless Brook has got a medical excuse up his sleeve (and “I am knackered” doesn’t count), he is toast.  There are people on X who are still not sure which argument they should agree with—some see him as a patriot, while others consider him a quitter.

Delhi is struggling to find an alternative, and Harry? He’s either a hero putting country first or a guy who just torched a 6.25 crore paycheck for a nap. Either way, the IPL’s rulebook doesn’t care about feelings, and Harry Brook might be watching from the sidelines until 2028.