England cricketer Harry Brook. (FILE photo)Former England all-rounder Moeen Ali has defended the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decision to ban Harry Brook from the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the next two years. As per the board’s new policy, Brook cannot enter the auction for two more years, as he decided to skip this IPL season at the last moment.
“It’s not harsh. I kind of agree with it, in a way, because a lot of people do that,” Moeen Ali said on the podcast “Beard Before Cricket.”
Brook has pulled out of the IPL for the second consecutive season, citing the need to prepare for his commitments with the national team. He was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 6.25 Crore in the mega auction in November. In the previous auction, he was secured by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 4 crore.
“A lot of people have done it in the past, and then they come back in and they end up getting a better financial package, or whatever it is. And he kind of messes a lot of things up as well at the same time,” reasoned Moeen.
“I mean, it’s messed his team up, obviously, by pulling out. Any team that loses Harry Brook is messed up a bit, and they’ve got to now rejig everything and stuff like that.
“Forget him for a second, but if you do pull out, the rule is that you get a ban unless it’s for family reasons or… due to injury or something. If it’s injury or something, it’s different. But I think if you just pull out, then it’s… I kind of agree with the teams. You actually mess a lot of stuff up.
“He’s a top player. They’ve probably picked the team around him, and then all of a sudden, you’re pulling out.”
England leg-spinner Adil Rashid echoed Moeen’s opinion. He said: “They actually put that rule in place before, and then this happened. So, you know when you’re going in, this is the rule.
“So when you put your name in, you know if you pull out, this is going to happen. So you know the consequences of it. So I don’t think it’s harsh.
“No, but if you pull out and you have, like you say, an injury or whatever, then I think that’s where something like the rules may differ or change in that way.
“Not just him (Harry Brook), but… But this has been going on for, I don’t know, for a little while, I reckon. Mo (Moeen Ali) has been in the IPL a lot longer, but in the past probably five, ten years, a lot of players have been selected generally and have pulled out. So that’s why they’re trying to stop it that way.”
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