England's newly-appointed white-ball captain, Harry Brook, was slated to play for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. However, just days before the start of the 18th edition of the T20 tournament, the right-handed batter pulled out, leaving mentor Kevin Pietersen disappointed. Former England captain Pietersen has now opened up on Brook not turning up for the biggest T20 competition in the world.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Pietersen said that he was really looking forward to working with Brook. He also talked about how England's white-ball captain has some real shortcomings against spin and how he needs to work them out if he wants to improve.
“I told him, I was like, 'Dude, I'm gutted that I can't work with you for a few months.' I think that he is a star. You don't hit one ball over extra cover and the next, same ball, over midwicket if you can't play,” said Pietersen.
“So he can properly play, but he has technical flaws in the subcontinent, in India, in particular. I really wanted to work with him, but people make their own choices in life and you've got to respect them. He has a flaw playing spin in India - a real big flaw. Two months here, imagine what might have happened if he had fixed that,” he added.
Harry Brook has now been banned from participating in the IPL for two years, considering he pulled out of the competition last minute. Before the start of IPL 2025, the governing council made it clear that a player would run the risk of being banned from the competition for two years if he pulled out after being picked in the mega auction.
‘Would’ve worked with Brook'
{{/usCountry}}Harry Brook has now been banned from participating in the IPL for two years, considering he pulled out of the competition last minute. Before the start of IPL 2025, the governing council made it clear that a player would run the risk of being banned from the competition for two years if he pulled out after being picked in the mega auction.
‘Would’ve worked with Brook'
{{/usCountry}}The Delhi Capitals mentor also stated that he was really looking forward to working with Brook, saying he would have gone about his job in the same manner when he worked with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow earlier.
“I would've worked the same with him as I did with [Joe] Root and [Jonny] Bairstow at the start of their careers. Root turned out to be the greatest player of spin England's ever had,” said Pietersen.
“I'm not saying it's because of what we did when he was a youngster, but we spent hours together batting in the nets, going through drills and practising. I love that stuff,” he added.
Coming back to the Delhi Capitals, the franchise are currently placed at the fifth spot in the IPL 2025 standings. The team will next take on SunRisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Monday, May 5.