Last year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was forced to update the player regulations for the Indian Premier League (IPL). The decision was made after Harry Brook pulled out of IPL 2025, thereby ending his stint with the Delhi Capitals (DC) before it even commenced.
Before all of this transpired, several IPL franchises had already requested the BCCI to punish those who pull out for invalid reasons. The Brook incident forced the BCCI’s hand, and so, it was decided that if a player skips the mega auction or pulls out of the tournament, they’ll be handed a 2-season ban from the IPL.
IPL’s foreign withdrawal problem
Yet, the next year, another Englishman pulled out. Just 5 days ago, Ben Duckett announced that he won’t be coming to India to play for DC and instead will focus on his England career, which has been in disarray. His position as the Test opener has been questioned by some, and that’s why Duckett will play in the County Championship instead of the IPL.
But this raises the question: Is this current IPL withdrawal policy for foreign players working? One can expect the Capitals to be mightily displeased, as they have been on the receiving end twice in 2 seasons now. While Duckett was going to potentially warm the bench, Brook was an immediate starter.
Late withdrawals like these can actually derail a franchise. They’ve been planning for the IPL season for 3 months, and a week before it commences, one of your 8 foreign picks pulls out of nowhere. Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that the 2-year ban isn’t enough. He feels there isn’t any jeopardy for these players.
“What should be done is something for the BCCI to think about as well, because a two-year ban is obviously not working. You have to look at something that will have an impact. As long as it’s not having an impact on the player and his chances of coming back to the IPL, it won’t work,” Gavaskar told India Today.
Can it be fixed?
But what can BCCI do? Well, they can increase the number of years of the ban. It can be upped to 3 or 5. But is that too much? You see, by banning a player, you aren’t just punishing them but the franchises as well. Take Brook, for example; he’s clearly a generational talent. An IPL franchise could really use him, even though he might be a bit of a flight risk.
So, let’s say increasing the ban is off the table. What else can BCCI do? Perhaps they can place a fine on the offenders. Those who withdraw with an invalid reason can be asked to pay a fine. That can be 50% of their sold price at the auction or maybe even the entire amount. Some might say this can be hard to put into effect. But their respective boards can do this, especially considering they contract them in the first place, and without their permission, a player can’t feature in the IPL.
