The England Cricket and Indian Premier League (IPL) relationship isn’t the best. Star Australian cricketers like Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, both of whom are currently injured, have joined their respective teams. Cummins won’t likely feature in the first leg of IPL 2026. Yet, he has linked up with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Delhi Capitals & pull-outs
Then you have English cricketers. Last year, Harry Brook’s decision to skip the IPL forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to update the player regulations. Brook decided to stay home after the Delhi Capitals (DC) bought him for INR 6.25 crore at the IPL 2025 auction.
Brook was named England’s white-ball captain later that month. It was clear that he was prioritising his international career. But this left DC in a lurch. Brook was expected to be an immediate starter, and now they have to change tactics with less than a month left for the tournament to begin.
The BCCI introduced a temporary ban for players who skip the tournament. Despite knowing the consequences, another English cricketer, Ben Duckett, has done the same. Just 3 days ago, the southpaw opener pulled out of IPL 2026. And guess what, DC were the ones affected again.
Why do English cricketers skip IPL?
It’s clear that several English cricketers don’t really care for the world’s biggest cricket tournament. Why is that? Well, there are a few reasons. For starters, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) pays their players handsomely. Knowing they’ll opt for franchise cricket, players under a 1-year contract get INR 1.42 crore, excluding match fee and bonuses. Others can get up to INR 8.73 crore for a 3-year contract.
Some English cricketers don’t enjoy getting benched. Take Duckett, for example; he would get INR 2 crore plus a match fee from DC. But the management could’ve decided not to play him. Then you factor in that foreign players can’t really roam around in India. Just last year, during the Women’s ODI World Cup, a female Australian cricketer was harassed during a stroll to the coffee shop in Indore.
According to The Telegraph Sport, Josh Tongue and Jamie Smith received offers to be replacement players in the IPL 2026 season due to several players going down with injury, but turned them down. Any of the reasons mentioned above could be the reason. But it’s clear English cricketers won’t succumb to the allure of the IPL.
English cricketers in IPL 2026
Gujarat Titans: Jos Buttler, Tom Banton, Luke Wood
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Liam Livingstone, David Payne, Brydon Carse
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell
Rajasthan Royals: Jofra Archer
Chennai Super Kings: Jamie Overton
Mumbai Indians: Will Jacks
Note: Sam Curran was ruled out for Rajasthan Royals
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