‘Kind of agree with it’ – Former England player backs BCCI’s new rule after Harry Brook was handed two-year IPL ban

Cricket world has been giving its views on the latest stance taken by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on their rules and regulation policies. England cricketer Harry Brook was handed a two-year ban by the BCCI after pulling out of the event. The 26-year-old was supposed to play for Delhi Capitals, but pulled out of the event citing international commitments. 

As per the new rules constituted by BCCI, any player who was picked up in the Auction pulls out before the tournament will be banned for 24 months. The rules also state that a player can only pull out of the tournament if he has suffered an injury or due to family related issues. 

Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid were recently guests on Beard Before Wicket podcast where the duo were asked to make a statement on the Harry Brook situation. Moeen Ali said, “It's not harsh. I kind of agree with it, in a way, because a lot of people do that, A lot of people have done it in the past, and then they come back in and they end up getting a better financial package, or whatever it is. And he kind of messes a lot of things up as well at the same time."

‘It's messed his team up’ – Moeen Ali on Harry Brook’s pull-out 

Harry Brook made his IPL debut in 2023 for Sunrisers Hyderabad and also scored a century. The right-handed batter missed IPL 2024 after his Grandmother sadly passed away. As per rumors, the young batter is likely to be named as the new captain of England’s ODI side. 

Moeen Ali further added, “I mean, it's messed his team up, obviously, by pulling out. Any team that loses Harry Brook is messed up a bit, and they've got to now rejig everything and stuff like that. Forget him for a second, but if you do pull out, the rule is that you get a ban unless it's for family reasons or... due to injury or something. If it's injury or something, it's different. But I think if you just pull out, then it's... I kind of agree with the teams. You actually mess a lot of stuff up. He's a top player. They've probably picked the team around him, and then all of a sudden, you're pulling out."

Adil Rashid who plays with Brook said, “They actually put that rule in place before, and then this happened. So, you know when you're going in, this is the rule. So, when you put your name in, you know if you pull out, this is going to happen. So you know the consequences of it. So, I don't think it's harsh. No, but if you pull out and you have, like you say, an injury or whatever, then I think that's where something like the rules may differ or change in that way.”

The 37-year-old also added, “Not just Harry Brook, but this has been going on for, I don't know, for a little while, I reckon. Moeen Ali has been in the IPL a lot longer, but in the past probably five, ten years, a lot of players have been selected generally and have pulled out. So that's why they're (BCCI) trying to stop it that way."