English batter Harry Brook has withdrawn from the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), starting from 22 March, due to the passing away of his grandmother.
Brook who was roped in by Delhi Capitals for Rs 4 crore at the auction in 2023, had also withdrawn from recently concluded the India versus England.
The Englishman took to social media to share a heartfelt message, showing how much his grandmother meant to him and how she influenced his life and cricket career. He fondly remembered their time together and how she inspired his love for the game. Even though he's thrilled to join the Delhi Capitals, Brook thinks being with his family is the most important thing right now.
"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," he wrote.
"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," he added.
Brook also thanked his franchise and the England Cricket Board for their support and wrote, "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."
Before signing up with the Capitals, Brook had a tough time with Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he didn't perform well. He only managed to score 190 runs in one year, with an average of 21.11 and a strike rate of 123.38.
Despite his less-than-stellar performance in IPL 2023, the Capitals picked him up in the mini-auction.
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