England batsman Ben Duckett has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League 2026, informing Delhi Capitals of his decision on Tuesday.Duckett, who was bought at the auction for Rs 2 crore, was in contention to open the batting with KL Rahul. However, he has decided not to participate in the season.His withdrawal could lead to a ban until the 2029 edition. This will mean that he cannot participate in the next two player auctions and will not be eligible to play in IPL 2027 and 2028.
In a statement shared on Instagram, Duckett explained his decision.He wrote, “I have made the very difficult decision to withdraw from the IPL. I have thought about it a lot and it was not an easy choice. Representing England is something I have dreamed of since I was a child, and I want to give English cricket everything I can. To do that, I need to make sure I am in the best possible place physically and mentally before the summer.”“I would like to sincerely apologize to everyone in Delhi. I was genuinely excited about the opportunity to represent the franchise, and I fully appreciate the time and planning that went into building the squad. I am sorry for any disruption my decision may have caused.The decision comes after Duckett’s recent Ashes campaign, where he scored 202 runs in 10 innings at an average of 20.20.
