IPL 2024: Here’s why Harry Brook will not be representing Delhi Capitals this season

The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just around the corner, and the excitement is already starting to build for what promises to be another cracker of a season in the biggest T20 carnival of them all.

Hordes of Chennai Super Kings fans (CSK), whose teams takes on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the season-opener in Chennai on 22 March, will be eagerly waiting to see their beloved ‘Thala’ MS Dhoni in action for the first time since he led the team to their fifth title last year.

Making a return to action after an even longer spell on the sidelines will be Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant, who will be making his first appearance in competitive cricket since surviving a car accident in December 2022. Fans will also also be eager to witness how Mumbai Indians perform under Hardik Pandya’s leadership following the India all-rounder’s high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans.

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Additionally, it also remained to be seen how the Australian pace duo of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins performed after going under the hammer for record sums in the IPL auction that took place in Dubai in December.

Though the spotlight wasn’t fixed on him as firmly as it will be on the likes of Dhoni, Pant, Pandya as well as Starc and Cummins, England and Delhi Capitals batter Harry Brook was one individual a lot of fans and experts would have set their sights on ahead of this year’s edition of the cash-rich league.

Brook has been one of England’s most valuable discoveries of late and is one of their most explosive batters across formats. It’s not just in the coloured clothing that he’s producing whirlwind, match-winning knocks for the Englishmen; he’s also had a role to play in England’s ‘Bazball’ success in Tests, especially during the 2022 tour of Pakistan.

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Brook wasn’t quite able to carry his rich vein of form in the international game over to the IPL, where he made his debut with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) last year. Brook smashed a sensational 100 not out off just 55 deliveries for the ‘Orange Army’ against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens, but could collect just 90 runs in the remaining 10 matches.

The right-handed batter was released into the auction pool by the Sunrisers ahead of the IPL auction, where he was then picked up the Pant-led Capitals for Rs 4 crore — a lower amount compared to the Rs 13.25 crore that SRH had shelled out ahead for his services.

Many were hoping to see Brook finally unleash his full potential in the biggest T20 league of them all, having plied his trade in The Hundred, Big Bash League as well as in the Pakistan Super League besides the IPL.

Brook’s big break in the IPL, however, will not be happening this year with the England batter withdrawing from the league days before the 17th season is set to get underway.

Here’s why:

Why Harry Brook will not be playing IPL 2024?

The Capitals suffered a major setback when they got to know that Brook will not be playing in this year’s edition for personal reasons. It’s also worth noting that Brook had also chosen to skip England's five-match Test series in India, which the Ben Stokes-led side ended up losing 1-4.

Brook’s absence from the Test series was also attributed to personal reasons, with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) requesting the media and the public to respect the player and his family’s privacy.

Brook would later take to social media to reveal the tragic passing of his grandmother as the reason behind his absence from the India Tests as well as the upcoming IPL.

“I can confirm that I have made the very difficult decision not to play in the upcoming IPL. I was so excited to be picked by Delhi Capitals and was so looking forward to joining up with everyone. Whilst I don’t think I should need to share my personal reasons behind this decision, I know there will be many asking why. So I do want to share this,” Brook wrote in a post on X.

“I lost my grandmother last month — she was a rock to me and I spent a huge amount of my childhood in her home; my attitude to life and love for cricket was shaped by her and my late grandfather. When at home, there would hardly be a day go by that didn’t include seeing her.

“It makes me so happy that she was able to see me play cricket for England. I’m proud that she could collect some of the awards I have won over the last couple of years when I couldn’t be there and I know she enjoyed doing that,” added Brook.

pic.twitter.com/x8VmPcj8cL

— Harry Brook (@Harry_Brook_88) March 13, 2024

Brook’s sudden withdrawal from the IPL has led to the Delhi Capitals searching for a replacement in their middle order, where he was originally supposed to bat at No 6. Brook is also the latest Englishman to withdraw from this year’s IPL, joining the likes of Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Jason Roy.

The abrupt withdrawals of the overseas players due to personal reasons has also not gone down well with the IPL franchises, who have reportedly approached the BCCI seeking their intervention on the matter after describing such behavior on the part of the players as “unprofessional”.