England cricketer Harry Brook has made the difficult decision to withdraw from this year's Indian Premier League due to the passing of his grandmother.
Brook, who was bought for £380,000 by Delhi Capitals in December, missed England's recent 4-1 Test series defeat in India after his grandmother fell sick:
"Over the last few years I have learned to prioritise my mental wellbeing and that of my family's, honestly nothing is more important to me than my family. So whilst this may come as surprising to some, I know it's the right decision for me.”
The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) commences on March 22, culminating in the final on May 25 or 26.
Brook, who was previously with Sunrisers Hyderabad, was released by the team after a largely disappointing debut IPL season.
Although he was included in England's Test squad for the tour of India, he flew home from a training camp in the United Arab Emirates in January just before the first Test, citing personal reasons, and did not return.
Brook has not played competitive cricket since the fifth T20 in the West Indies in December, but he could be back in action for Yorkshire when they open their County Championship campaign against Leicestershire at Headingley on 5 April.
He has scored four centuries in 12 Tests and was part of the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup winning squad, making him a key part of England's side in all three formats.
England's next cricketing action will be a four-match T20 series against Pakistan at home, starting on 22 May. After that, Jos Buttler's side will begin their T20 World Cup defence in the Caribbean on 4 June.
The next Test match for England will be against the West Indies, starting at Lord's on 10 July.
Brook scored a remarkable unbeaten century in just his fourth IPL match last season but otherwise struggled. He scored 190 runs in 11 games at an average of 21.11 as Sunrisers finished bottom of the table.