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Harry Brook’s England will go all out to dethrone Team India from the No.1 spot of the ICC T20I rankings. Ahead of the match in Southampton, the home team captain explained why he opted to skip the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he would have earned a hefty sum.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned Brook from the IPL for pulling himself out of the tournament right before the opening day. Harry Brook will remain prohibited from participating in the franchise league until 2028.
Team India is on the brink of losing the No.1 spot
Since the inception of the Indian Premier League, the Indian cricket team has developed as one of the powerhouses in world cricket, especially in the shortest format of the game. With three T20 World Cup titles, including two titles in two consecutive campaigns, India positioned itself as the most dominant force in the format.
Because of a massive gap in rating points, the Men in Blue are still holding the No. 1 spot in the rankings, even after losing five T20I matches in a row. Before travelling to England, the Shreyas Iyer-led team lost to Ireland 2-0 and then against the Three Lions; the visitors remain without claiming a single win after playing four games, including one washed-out fixture.
England’s captain is playing a vital role behind the England cricket team’s swift performance against the No.1 T20I team. From shuffling his bowlers according to the batters on strike to a change in batting order, Brook has been on point from the beginning of the series. He is in good form with the bat as well.
Harry Brook’s confident 79-run knock clinched the series for England
In the previous match in Bristol, Harry Brook’s Unbeaten 79-run innings in 35 balls and Phil Salt’s unbeaten 59 off 42 secured a 9-wicket win for England over India. On July 4 in Manchester, Brook smashed 39 runs from 15 balls only. In this match, the middle-order batter was in absolute destructive mode against Arshdeep Singh, taking 26 runs alone in an over.
Without any doubt, the England skipper is one of the cleanest strikers of the ball across the white-ball formats. After watching Brook’s well-controlled batting against India, fans are wondering why he chose not to play the IPL, where top talents gather from around the planet to showcase their skills.
Why did Harry Brook prefer not to play the Indian Premier League?
Harry Brook mentioned that instead of spending three months in the franchise league, he would prefer to keep himself prepared for the upcoming international schedule for the national cricket team.
“I think going to the IPL is a great experience. I really enjoyed my time when I went to the IPL. But I don’t see the world in how I can play it at the minute. From my own point of view, playing all three formats, and captaining two of the sides, I’ve got a lot on my plate with that,” Harry Brook told the reporters ahead of the India vs England 5th and final match of the T20I series.
“And those three months are a perfect time for me to have a break and work hard on my fitness and my game and try and be as best as I can for English cricket in the summer and whatever we have in the winters as well,” he concluded the topic.
Harry Brook on having ‘a lot on his plate’ and why he prefers skipping the IPL pic.twitter.com/KFVmHnWF67
— Cricinfo (@cricinfo) July 11, 2026
