With just four days to go before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, England batter Ben Duckett has pulled out of the tournament. The southpaw has informed Delhi Capitals (DC) of his decision. This would have been his debut season in the IPL after DC shelled out INR 2 crore for the batter. Duckett has pulled out of the tournament as he wants to focus on his international career with England.

“I have made the extremely difficult decision to withdraw from the IPL. I have given this a lot of thought and it has not been an easy choice. Representing England is something I have dreamed of since I was a child, and I want to give everything I can to English cricket. To do that, I need to ensure I am in the best possible place physically and mentally ahead of the summer,” Duckett wrote on Instagram.

“I would like to sincerely apologise to everyone at Delhi. I was genuinely very excited about the opportunity to represent the franchise, and I fully appreciate the time and planning that goes into building a squad. I am sorry for any disruption my decision may cause. I would also like to apologise to all the fans as I know how much it means to everyone in Delhi.”

After suffering a poor Ashes series, Duckett will turn his attention to the County Championship with Nottinghamshire, which begins on April 3

Duckett’s act could land him in hot water as far his future IPL participation is concerned. Last year, his England teammate Harry Brook also pulled out of the IPL for the same reason and was handed a two-year ban from the tournament. The same could hold true for Duckett, but the IPL and DC are yet to announce the same.

According to IPL regulations, any overseas player pulling out of the tournament without legitimate reasons will be banned from playing for two seasons and will also not be allowed to feature in the auctions.

DC begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 1.

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