Former England captain Michael Vaughan has backed the decision to ban Harry Brook from the Indian Premier League (IPL) for two seasons. Brook ditched Delhi Capitals (DC) for second consecutive season. This time, he cited the need to focus on international cricket as the reason to pull out of IPL 2025. He was roped in for Rs 6.25 crore by DC in the IPL 2025 mega auction. They are yet to announce Brook's replacement for the upcoming season.
After Brook's teammates Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid said that the ban on Brook is justified, Vaughan has not defended the 26-year-old either.
"I think they are right. You put yourself forward. The rules were the rules. They announced them at the end of last year's IPL. Put yourself into the auction, you say yes, and then you pull yourself out for nothing. He's not injured, he just had a feeling that he just didn't want to get over there to play in the IPL. He's going to stay in the UK," Vaughan said on the Club Prairie Fire Podcast.
Vaughan feels that Brook is likely to be England's captain as Jos Buttler stepped down from the role in white-ball cricket following the failure to make it past the group stage in ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He blamed Brok for hampering with DC's plans.
"I get a feeling he's probably going to be the white-ball captain for England down the line, so he just wants to focus his attention on England, which all the England fans would be happy with, but I think the IPL had to bring something in because it does derail the franchises in the piece. I don't think he's been replaced yet," he added.
Brook's apology to DC
Brook will not feature in IPL 2026 or IPL 2027. In his official statement, he had apologised to the Delhi-based franchise and their fans.
"I have made the very difficult decision to pull out of the upcoming IPL. I apologise unreservedly to the Delhi Capitals and their supporters," Brook said in a statement.
"It is a really important time for England cricket, and I want to fully commit to preparing for the upcoming series. In order to do this, I need time to recharge after the busiest period in my career to date," he added.
DC's leadership and IPL 2025 campaign opener
Meanwhile, DC have named Axar Patel their captain with 40-year-old Faf du Plessis as their deputy. They will kickstart their season against their former captain Rishabh Pant-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on March 24 in Visakhapatnam.