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Board of Control for Cricket in India Rules Hit Ben Duckett: Two-Year IPL Ban After Withdrawal
Ben Duckett faces a two-year ban: Leaving the IPL could prove costly for Ben Duckett. The Board of Control for Cricket in India could ban him for two years for this act. Duckett has left Delhi Capitals (DC) in the lurch. The left-handed England opener was bought for ₹2 crore (approximately $20 million) in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) auction, marking his first appearance in the tournament. However, like his white-ball captain Harry Brook, Duckett has also withdrawn from the IPL.
Duckett represents England in all three formats, but he did not get a spot in the T20 World Cup 2026. He scored 221 runs in 10 innings with an average of 20.20 in the 2025-26 Ashes. Duckett decided to miss the IPL 2026 and instead play in the County Championship because he was worried about being dropped from all three formats.
Ben Duckett said, "It was a very difficult decision, and I want to apologize to the Delhi Capitals for not being able to attend. When I entered my name in the auction, I thought it would be a great opportunity, and it was wonderful to be selected by a franchise like Delhi. I was very excited. It's the best tournament in the world, with the best players in the world playing, and it would have been a great experience."
I don't know if I'm saying goodbye to the IPL forever, even though I've never played in it. Given my current age (31), it may be difficult for me, but I hope to one day represent Delhi. I've thought about it a lot and I know it's the right decision for my career.
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Duckett will now be banned from the IPL for two seasons. According to the BCCI, any foreign player who withdraws from the league without a valid reason (such as injury or international commitments) will be barred from the league for two years. The IPL Player Regulations 2025-27 state that any player who registers for the player auction and, after being selected in the auction, declares himself unavailable before the start of the season will be banned from the tournament and the player auction for two seasons.
In an effort to demonstrate his commitment to England and Test cricket, Duckett will play for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship. This is similar to what Brook did last year, when he withdrew from the IPL before being named England's white-ball captain.
