An unrivalled collection of cricketers will be on show over the next two months but as the Indian Premier League (IPL) prepares to burst back into life, it is the absence of an Englishman hitting the headlines. Harry Brook’s withdrawal from a £600,000 deal was announced mere moments after the conclusion of a Champions Trophy that served to set the table for India’s showpiece spectacular to come; the unavailability of Delhi Capitals’ ninth best-paid player not a seismic shock to shake the competition but nonetheless causing angst and anger.
Under new IPL rules, Brook’s bowing out is likely to mean the earliest he can return to the tournament is 2028, a significant chunk of cricket to miss for a batter coming into his prime. While the reasons laid out in his communique were perfectly clear and understandable, not all have met his decision with understanding. Michael Clarke, the former Australia captain, has accused Brook of pulling out having not attracted the salary he wanted at December’s auction; Moeen Ali said that Delhi’s planning had been “messed up” and his former England teammate deserved a stiff sanction. Beyond the experts, a scan of the mentions of Brook’s name on social media show why one always be wary of risking the wrath of a cricketing public that lubricate the economic engine increasingly driving the game.
No doubt, it is a brave call from the batter, a more considered character than might first appear. While remunerated well by his English employers, the easy option would have been to take the riches on offer and force himself through the tournament, passing go as he shuttled from hotel to hotel and ground to ground and collecting the money due to him. Perhaps he might even have figured out how to pick Varun Chakravarthy along the way.
But his stepping away would appear to have been timed as immaculately as a crisp cover drive. England’s vacant white-ball captaincy would be a plum posting for a player who Rob Key, managing director of men’s cricket, could rise to the role. Ben Stokes would appear not best pleased about his mooting for extra engagements, leaving Brook the favourite. Concerns about overburdening a glorious talent are, obviously, less prevailing now he has a two-month gap in his schedule – even if the gap is filled by a few County Championship outings and a four-day Test against Zimbabwe.
For it is worth underlining again the unabating treadmill along which top cricketers have to trudge and traipse. Since returning from last year’s sabbatical, Brook has bounced between a Pakistan white-ball series, a T20 World Cup, six home Tests, The Hundred, an ODI series where he made his bow as captain, a Test series in Pakistan, a Test series in New Zealand, a white-ball series against India, and, finally, the Champions Trophy. And that was while missing a trip to the West Indies.
It is little surprise, then, that a 26-year-old who made be about to take on a greater mental burden if appointed skipper has decided that now is the right time to take a period out of the spotlight. It is clearly disappointing for the Delhi Capitals, who would have sought to fashion their middle order around the Englishman.
An argument could probably be made that his withdrawal is not best for Brook’s cricketing development, too. One cannot deny that the IPL is the foremost T20 competition, with a talent pool – provided one is not from Pakistan – greater than that in any league around the world, and an intensity perhaps above that of bilateral cricket. Brook rather failed to grasp his first opportunity with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, an unbeaten 100 salvaging a pretty wretched campaign in 2023.
Could he have ironed out some kinks against spin in India? Perhaps, and it remains a great shop window for those in the selection shake-up to push their case. Phil Salt seized his spot at the top of the order in part because of his dynamite dovetailing with Sunil Narine for Kolkata Knight Riders in their charge to the title last year. With his position again under scrutiny, another tidy tournament may be necessary after a move to Royal Challengers Bangalore; the same applies for squadmate Liam Livingstone, whose bits and pieces are yet to come together into a full, fulfilling package.
At Chennai Super Kings, Sam Curran appears in direct opposition with Jamie Overton for a place alongside MS Dhoni in the lower middle order and, perhaps, the position as England’s alpha all-rounder. But there are not just national pecking orders to play for. With a number of IPL owners now plucking and picking up teams all around the world, pan-continental, year-round contracts may well be creeping ever closer – inveigle yourself into a franchise’s inner circle and overseas options may abound.
For that reason, it was intriguing to hear reports from Australia of a mooted new competition funded partly by Saudi Arabia’s SRJ Sports Investment arm. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, key figures Down Under are keen on a new global league that would see eight teams play in four different locations each year, with the aim of attracting star talent.
It takes a certain kind of individual to look at the modern cricketing calendar and decide that more franchise T20 cricket is, in actual fact, exactly what is needed. But the recent Hundred sales process illustrated the financial riches already sloshing around the game. The involvement of a state wealth fund to create further ripples was surely only a matter of time.
It has been an interesting week for the Saudi sportswashing project, with a Toon triumph at Wembley and the distorted picture of modern golf seemingly no closer to becoming clearer. Having dipped their toe in the water by hosting the IPL auction in Jeddah last year, it would be a surprise if Saudi Arabia were not looking at how to disrupt cricket as they have done so many other sports – the IPL may now be impregnable but choppy waters are clearly coming.
Not that such frets are likely to merit much of a mention amid the kaleidoscope of colour and avalanche of adverts as certain individuals say Tata to their morals and hello to hyperbolic hyping. This is not, really, a tournament that requires trumpeting. Many detractors remain but the IPL has been genuinely revolutionary and more meritocratic than might first appear.
For example, this year’s auction included sizeable deals for an 18-year-old Afghan spinner, AM Ghazanfar, who is sadly now injured, and a Bihar batter who could become the tournament’s youngest-ever player. It may not be to everyone’s taste, as Brook’s withdrawal shows, but there are still crumbs of comfort to be found in the lavish and lurid decoration of cricket’s finest confection.
