Ben Duckett pulls out of IPL 2026

Ben Duckett has decided against featuring in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League, choosing to focus entirely on his England career. Duckett was an INR 2 crore signing for the Delhi Capitals. With this decision, he will be banned from the next two player auctions and cannot feature in IPL 2027 and 2028.

"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."

Duckett's decision follows a tough Ashes series, where he scored 202 runs in 10 innings at an average of 20.20. Looking to secure his Test spot for the home summer against New Zealand in early June, he will now feature for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship, which begins on April 3 and runs parallel to the IPL.