Moeen Ali says former England team-mate Harry Brook’s potential suspension from the IPL is “not harsh”.
Brook has pulled out of a deal with the Delhi Capitals franchise for the second year running as he prioritises his international commitments ahead of this summer’s five-Test series at home to India and then The Ashes in Australia from November.
New IPL rules stipulate that any player who withdraws after the auction faces a two-season ban, with exceptions only made for injury or medical reasons.
Ex-England all-rounder Moeen Ali, who was signed by defending IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2025 season that gets under way this weekend, told the Beard Before Cricket podcast: “It’s not [harsh], I kind of agree with [the IPL bans].
Moeen says he agrees with the rule that could see players like Brook suspended from the IPL
“A lot of people [withdraw]. People have done it in the past and then come back in and ended up getting a better financial package or whatever it is. It messes up a lot of things.
“It’s messed his team [Delhi Capitals] up, [Brook] pulling out. Any team that loses Harry Brook is messed up a bit, and they’ve got to now rejig everything.
“Forget him for a second, if you do pull out, the rule is you get a ban, unless it’s a family reason or injury. If it’s injury, it’s different. But I think if you just pull out… I kinda agree with [the rules].”
Moeen: Brook probably just wants a break
Brook is one of the front-runners to take over as England white-ball captain with Jos Buttler resigning from the role after the group-stage exit at the Champions Trophy.
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Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain believes Brook is the obvious candidate to take over as England white-ball captain
The Yorkshireman could take charge in ODIs and T20 internationals or perhaps just the latter if Test skipper Ben Stokes becomes 50-over captain, something England’s managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key says is up for consideration.
Moeen feels Brook being an all-format player and potentially about to take up a leadership position are reasons for his IPL withdrawal.
He added: “With Brook, he’s played a lot of cricket. He’s probably just thinking a little bit of a rest [as] there’s a big summer coming up, a big 12 months coming up.
“England play a lot and Brook plays all forms and he’s probably going to be captain of the white-ball side as well, so he’s probably just giving himself a bit of a break.
“It’s been a tough winter so he’s probably just going to get his game in order a bit more. That’s all.”
Brook is set for a big year with England, including Test series against India and Australia
England leg-spinner Adil Rashid added of Brook’s potential IPL ban: “You know going in this is the rule. You know the consequences [of pulling out], so I don’t think it’s harsh.
“This has been going on for a little while. For five, 10 years a lot of people who have been selected generally have pulled out. That’s what they’re trying to stop.
“A lot of people who make the team up pull out last minute and that messes things up in term of dynamics of teams.”
Watch all 74 matches from the 2025 IPL live on Sky Sports, starting with the opener between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Saturday March 22 (2pm first ball) and concluding with the final on Sunday May 25.
