England batter Harry Brook, who was bought by Delhi Capitals, has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, citing personal reasons.
Signed by Delhi Capitals (DC) at the auction last year, the England batter had also withdrawn from the five-match Test tour of India.
The batter took to Instagram and announced that he “made the very difficult decision not to play in the upcoming IPL” and revealed that he lost his grandmother last month, who was his “rock.”
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“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 lengthy post on Instagram.
‘Grandmother was a rock to me’
Talking about how his grandmother shaped his attitude towards life and love for cricket, Brook said, “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.”
The England batter revealed that he decided to leave the India Test tour after he was informed his “grandmother was ill and didn’t have long left.” After his grandmother passed away, the 25-year-old batter said he wants to be around his family while they are grieving.
“I made the decision to leave the India test tour the night before we flew from Abu Dhabi to India because I was told for the first time that my Grandmother was ill and didn’t have long left. Now that she has passed my family & I are grieving and I need to be around them. Over the last few years I have learned to prioritise my mental well-being and that of my family’s, honestly nothing is more important to me than family. So whilst this may come as surprising to some, I know it’s the right decision for me. I’m young and hope to have many, many more years of cricket to come which I intend to make the absolute most of,” he said.
Expressing gratefulness for the support he received from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and his IPL franchise Delhi Capitals, Brook said: “I couldn’t be more grateful for the support I have received, especially from the ECB and Delhi Capitals, thank you. Harry.”
Brook made his IPL debut in the 2023 season with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The batter’s statement came with DC left with less than 10 days to prepare for their season opener clash against Punjab Kings on March 23 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Cricket Stadium in Chandigarh.