Here's Why Harry Brook Pulled Out Of IPL 2025

Harry Brook prioritizes international cricket over leagues after appointing as England's white-ball captain, says franchise cricket can take a backseat. Read more

Harry Brook to skip T20 leagues to focus fully on England duties

Source : PTI

Harry Brook was appointed as England's new white-ball captain on Monday, following Jos Buttler's resignation after the team's early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy. In a recent interview, Brook emphasized his commitment to international cricket, expressing a clear preference for representing his country over participating in franchise leagues.

"It's my priority — England is the way forward for me and franchise cricket can almost take a step back for a little while. At the end of the day, I enjoy playing cricket for England more than anything else, so, yeah, to lose a little bit of money here and there, I'd take that any day to play for England."

Although Harry Brook was bought by Delhi Capitals for a huge amount of ₹6.25 crore in the 2025 IPL auction but he chose to skip the tournament. When asked if any amount of money could make him change his mind about playing for the franchise, he responded:

"Definitely not at the minute. I just want to play cricket for England, represent my country like I have over the last few years, and hopefully have a big impact on the side moving forward. I haven't completely given up franchise cricket. But in the near future, I don't see a way with the schedule that I'm going to have much time to play on the franchise circuit."

When Brook was asked which is more important to him — the Ashes or the T20 World Cup — he said, "It's the Ashes, I think." "I know I've taken over the white-ball captaincy, but the Ashes is the pinnacle of cricket for me still."

Harry Brook will begin his captaincy on May 29 with a white-ball series against the West Indies, including three ODIs and three T20Is. After that, England will play more white-ball matches against South Africa. In late September, they’ll tour Ireland for an ODI series. After a short break, they’ll head to New Zealand in late October for more limited-overs games. Next year, in February 2026, they will take part in the T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.