Duckett Withdraws from IPL to Regain Form, Faces Possible Ban

England opener Ben Duckett has withdrawn from the IPL to regain his form and protect his Test career. Although he was set to play for Delhi Capitals, he decided at the last minute to pull out of the tournament.

Duckett was signed by Delhi for INR 2 crore at the December auction. However, with no guaranteed spot in the playing XI and competition from Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka, he chose to skip the IPL and instead play for Nottinghamshire at the start of the County Championship season.

Due to his last-minute withdrawal, Duckett could face a two-year ban under IPL rules. His teammate Harry Brook previously received a similar ban for withdrawing from his Delhi contract.

Duckett stated that the decision was difficult but necessary for his career. He has been struggling with form, scoring only one half-century in 28 innings across all formats since last August. In particular, he managed just 202 runs in ten innings during the Ashes series.

He added that he wants to use this period to rebuild his game. Training under coach Peter Moores, Duckett aims to regain his best form. His main focus now is to prepare for England’s upcoming Test series against New Zealand in June.