13 March 2024 , 17:12
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England cricket star Harry Brook has withdrawn from 2024 IPL after the sad death of his grandmother.
In January, Brook pulled out of the England squad ahead of their 4-1 Test series defeat in India for then-unspecified personal reasons. After his grandmother passed away last month, the Yorkshire right-armer wants to remain alongside his family. Brook, 25, had been selected by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the new IPL season which begins in nine days' time.
But in a statement posted on social media, he explained: "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.
"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. 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.
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"Now that she has passed my family and I are grieving and I need to be around them. Over the last few years I have learned to prioritise my mental wellbeing 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. I couldn't be more grateful for the support I have received, especially from the ECB and Delhi Capitals, thank you."
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At the IPL auction in December, Brook was purchased by the Capitals for 40,000,000 Indian Rupee (£377million). It's not yet known whether or not the Dehli-based team, who begin their campaign on Saturday, March 23 against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur, will look for a replacement.
The Capitals were given a boost earlier this week when it was confirmed that new captain Rishabh Pant was given clearance to play as a wicketkeeper-batter by the BCCI, having recovered from injuries which he suffered in a car accident in December 2022. Their roster also includes Australian stars Mitch Marsh and David Warner as well as Tristan Stubbs, Shai Hope, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Jhye Richardson.
Warner captained the Capitals to just five wins from 14 matches last season, resulting in them finishing ninth out of ten in the 2023 table.