Brook banned from IPL for two years, Bumrah to miss initial matches for MI

England batsman Harry Brook has been banned from the Indian Premier League for two years after he pulled out at the last minute to focus on international cricket, local media reported on Friday.

The 26-year-old, considered a frontrunner to replace Jos Buttler as England’s white-ball captain, was signed to Delhi Capitals for the IPL season beginning next week.

Brook also withdrew from his contract with the Delhi side last season after the death of his grandmother.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been informed about Brooks’s ban, an unnamed official from the Board of Control for Cricket in Indian (BCCI) told the Indian Express newspaper.

The ban was part of a policy “informed to each player before they registered their name for IPL auction last year”, the official said.

The rules are designed to prevent late pullouts from the money-spinning T20 league by overseas players.

Exceptions can be made, mostly for injuries.

Brook this week apologised on social media “unreservedly to the Delhi Capitals and their supporters” for pulling out of the league “to recharge” and focus on international cricket.

Brook has played one season in the IPL, for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2023, when he scored a 55-ball century against Kolkata Knight Riders.

The 2025 IPL begins on March 22 when defending champions Kolkata host Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens.

Meanwhile, fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the initial IPL 2025 matches for five-time champions Mumbai Indians due to his ongoing recovery from a back injury which has kept him out of action since the Sydney Test in January.

Bumrah has been recovering from a stress-related injury in his lower back, which he suffered during day two of the final Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney and didn’t bowl in the second innings as Australia won the series 3-1.

Bumrah, who took the Player of the Series award in Australia for his 32 scalps, was subsequently ruled out of India’s Champions Trophy winning campaign after being named in the provisional squad.

As of now, Bumrah, who underwent a back surgery in 2023, has been undergoing his rehab process at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru.

As per a report in ESPNCricinfo on Friday, Bumrah is expected to join the MI squad by early April, subject to clearance from the medical team at BCCI CoE. At the same time, the report added, “It could not be confirmed exactly how many matches Bumrah would miss and if there was a definite date of return.”

Delhi name Axar as captain: Delhi Capitals have named star all-rounder and the men’s team’s longest-serving player Axar Patel as captain ahead of the 2025 season of the IPL.

KL Rahul was also the leadership contender after being roped in by the franchise for Rs 14 crore at the mega auction last year. But, IANS has earlier reported that Axar to be named as skipper as “the franchise had asked for KL Rahul to be the team’s captain, but he very much wishes to contribute for the side as a player in the upcoming tournament.”

The 31-year-old Axar initially joined the Capitals in 2019 and has since emerged as one of the top-performing players for the franchise across the six seasons with his ability to step up to the occasion. In the 82 matches, Axar has donned the red and blue of the Capitals, he has scored 967 runs and picked up 62 wickets at an impressive economy of 7.09.

Agencies