NEW DELHI: England batter Harry Brook will not be part of the IPL 2026 auction—or any IPL season until 2028—after being officially barred under a recently enforced league rule. The 25-year-old, who made his IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2023, finds himself sidelined after pulling out of back-to-back seasons at the last minute.
Why can’t Harry Brook take part in IPL 2026?
Brook was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 4 crore ahead of IPL 2024 but withdrew before the tournament, citing personal reasons. A year later, history repeated itself when he again made himself unavailable after being purchased for Rs 6.25 crore in the mega auction. His repeated withdrawals triggered the new BCCI rule introduced after several franchises complained about overseas and domestic players backing out close to the start of the season.
RULES
According to the updated regulation, “any player who registers in the auction and, after getting picked, makes himself unavailable before the start of the season,
will get banned from participating in the tournament and player auction for two seasons.” With this, Brook has become the first overseas cricketer to face such a sanction. He will only be eligible again for the 2028 mega auction. Meanwhile, attention now shifts to the IPL 2026 mini-auction, scheduled for December 16 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
The BCCI confirmed that 350 players have made the final shortlist, narrowed down from a massive pool of 1,390 registrants. Of the shortlisted names, 240 are Indian and 110 are overseas players. Interestingly,
The list also features 224 uncapped Indian talents along with 14 uncapped overseas names—a sign of the expanding scouting and talent-development footprint of the league. Teams will compete for 77 available slots, including 31 overseas positions.
This year, 40 players have listed themselves in the highest base-price bracket of Rs 2 crore, with only two Indians — Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi — joining that elite category. Before the auction,
Franchises retained 173 players, including 49 overseas stars. Collectively, teams have Rs 237.55 crore left in their purses, setting up what could be another intense bidding war. Kolkata Knight Riders enter the auction with the biggest purse—Rs 64.3 crore, followed by Chennai Super Kings with Rs 43.4 crore.
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green is widely tipped to emerge as one of the most expensive buys, with both KKR and CSK reportedly ready to bid aggressively. With high-stakes bidding ahead and fresh talent eager to break through, Brook’s absence is expected to be one of the major talking points of the auction season.
