Delhi Capitals (DC) mentor Kevin Pietersen has opened up on England's new white-ball captain Harry Brook pulling out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Pietersen said that he was gutted to learn Brook had decided to skip the league for the second time in a row. The former England batter revealed his conversation with Brook. He believes Brook could've benefitted from the stint and get rid of his flaw against spinnners in Indian conditions.
"I told him. I was like, 'Dude, I'm gutted that I can't work with you for a few months.' I think that he is a star… You don't hit one ball over extra cover and the next, same ball, over midwicket if you can't play," Pietersen told ESPNCricinfo.
"So he can properly play, but he has technical flaws in the subcontinent - in India, in particular. I really wanted to work with him, but people make their own choices in life and you've got to respect them. He has a flaw playing spin in India - a real big flaw. Two months here, imagine what might have happened if he had fixed that?"
Pietersen recalled working with young Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, helping them how to play spin with drills and practice in the nets.
"I would've worked the same with him as I did with [Joe] Root and [Jonny] Bairstow at the start of their careers. Root turned out to be the greatest player of spin England's ever had. I'm not saying it's because of what we did when he was a youngster, but we spent hours together batting in the nets, going through drills and practising. I love that stuff," the 44-year-old said.
Brook was named the captain in T20Is and ODIs as Jos Buttler stepped down from following the early ICC Champions Trophy 2025 exit. He has been banned from playing in the IPL for two more seasons.
Brook's white-ball record on Indian pitches
Brook does not have a good record in India. He has 91 runs from five innings in T20Is. In the ODI format, he has scored 219 runs from nine innings at an average of 24.33, including one half-century.
He made his IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2023 edition. He managed to score 190 runs from 11 innings at an average of 21.11 including one century.
Brook to go up against Indian spinners at home
Brook will be seen in action against Zimbabwe in the one-off four-day Test at Trent Bridge Nottingham starting May 22. After that, England will take on India at home in a five-Test series commencing June 20.