Punjab Kings (PBKS) new addition Marcus Stoinis believes that the 2-year ban placed on overseas players skipping the Indian Premier League (IPL) after registering for the auction is the right call by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
BCCI’s 2-year ban rule for overseas players
For the unaware, last year several overseas players pulled out of the IPL 2024 season after getting picked up at the auction. Franchises started demanding the BCCI bring in a new rule. They claimed their plans were derailed by such pullouts.
So the BCCI announced a new rule by which any overseas player who pulls out of the IPL due to invalid reasons after submitting their names into the auction will be banned for two years.
Harry Brook, patient zero
Earlier this month, Harry Brook pulled out of the IPL 2025 and was handed a 2-year ban by the BCCI. Becoming the first to be barred from participating in the league for the said rule.
“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 had said in a statement.
Marcus Stoinis backs BCCI’s decision
Stoinis, who recently retired from ODI cricket, thinks that such a ruling makes sense from the franchise’s perspective. To invest money and time in a foreign player and then have them pull out can hurt their chances of success. They have to scramble for an apt replacement, which doesn’t necessarily work in their favour.
“Look, once you’re committed and in such a big competition where teams are building around individuals and that sort of thing, it (the ban) does make sense if it’s still worked in conjunction with the person that’s pulling out,” Stoinis told reporters in Ahmedabad.
