IPL 2026 got underway at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (March 28) with the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru coming out victorious against Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets.
The News
Amidst the successful kickoff of the nineteenth edition of the league, one of the prominent topics of discussion was around overseas players pulling out of the league after getting picked up in the auction.
The Action
Twice in three seasons, a player has withdrawn after getting pucked up in the auction, and the team that has been on the receiving end of both occasions has been Delhi Capitals, with Harry Brook pulling out in 2024, and the player in question this time around is Ben Duckett, who did so just a few days before the start of the new season.
The Reaction
Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar reacted to the news of Duckett pulling out of IPL 2026. While talking to India Today, Gavaskar said, “It is a tough one. Clearly, Ben Duckett had a very good Ashes series, and if he had not been bought for the amount he was at The Hundred auction, maybe things would have been different. One can understand that, having been bought at a very good price in The Hundred, he was probably quite happy to miss this and say he wants to focus on his England Test career.”
The Solution
Gavaskar added that BCCI should come up with a solution to make sure that such actions are not repeated in the near future. In the words of former opening batter, “But yes, what should be done is something for the BCCI to think about as well, because a two-year ban is obviously not working. You have to look at something that will have an impact. As long as it’s not having an impact on the player and his chances of coming back to the IPL, it won’t work.”
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