The cat is out of the bag. England batter Harry Brook has finally come up with the reason for pulling out of IPL 2024. Late on Wednesday, in a post on X, Brook revealed that he withdrew from the tournament as his grandmother died in February, and wants to be with his family, during the tough time.
“I can confirm that I have made the very difficult decision not to play in the upcoming IPL,” Brook said in a statement. “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.
Brook Missed IND vs ENG Series
Meanwhile, prior to this, Brook had even pulled out of the Test series vs India, despite being part of the pre-tour camp in the UAE.
“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,” he added.
“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.”
Blow to Delhi Capitals
Nonetheless, this is a huge blow for DC as well, who bagged Brook for INR 4 crore (US$ 482,000 approximately) at the auction in December. Back in 2023, Brook made his IPL debut, after being bagged by the SRH for a massive INR 13.25 crore (US$ 1.6 million approximately).
He had managed to impress in one of the matches when he scored 100 from 55 balls versus KKR.
