Harry Brook was purchased by the Delhi Capitals for ₹6.25 crore in a mega auction held in November 2024. He sited the need to shift focus to the England national team as the reason behind his withdrew from the IPL. In his own words: 

“I have made the very difficult decision to pull out of the upcoming IPL. I apologize unreservedly to the Delhi Capitals and their supporters.” 

He elaborated further on international duties and the need to recuperate from an extremely tough phase in his career. 

The Board in Charge of Cricket in India (BCCI) has established guidelines for these kinds of withdrawals. It is part of their policy that a foreign player who agrees to an auction, gets selected, and subsequently becomes unavailable before the commencement of the season, shall be barred from participation in either the IPL or its auctions for a two year period.

Communications have been conducted with ECB and Brook regarding BCCI's decision to impose two-year suspension on Brook, which comes under the BCCI policy. 

This is to ensure a proper commitment from players while also addressing concerns raised from franchises about players pulling out at the very last minute. 

🚨 𝑩𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 🚨

England batter Harry Brook has been banned from the IPL after skipping this year’s tournament at the very last minute. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🤯

As per the new BCCI rules, the Delhi Capitals batter will be ineligible to participate for the next two years ❌#HarryBrook… pic.twitter.com/Lo9j7KCF2n

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) March 13, 2025

This is not the first time that Brook has pulled back from the IPL. In 2024, he opted out of the tournament because his grandmother passed away. The recent decision makes debates around Brook's future plans with the IPL and its impact on his career arguably more heated than they were before. 

It will be hard not to notice Brook's already visible support for England's cricketing prospects. The side is currently looking for a new captain after Jos Buttler decided to stand down post England's dismal showing at the Champions Trophy. Brook is in pole position to take over the captaincy and the fact that he is stepping up speaks volumes about his desire to shoulder more responsibility.