'It’s not harsh' - Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid back BCCI's decision to ban Harry Brook for last-minute IPL withdrawal

England cricketers Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have expressed support towards Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) decision to ban Harry Brook following his last-minute pull-out ahead of the IPL 2025. Brook was picked by the Delhi Capitals for INR 6.25 crore in the mega auction last November but pulled out of the tournament in a bid to focus on national duties.

The 26-year-old has been banned as per the new policy imposed by the BCCI to prevent last-minute withdrawals by overseas players after being bought in the auction. While the policy has been labelled as harsh by some, Moeen and Rahid have backed it, explaining how such last-minute withdrawals affect the balance of the teams. 

“It’s not harsh. I kind of agree with it, in a way, because a lot of people do that, A lot of people have done it in the past, and then they come back in and they end up getting a better financial package, or whatever it is. And he kind of messes a lot of things up as well at the same time”, Moeen said on ‘Beard Before Cricket’ podcast.

“I mean, it’s messed his team up, obviously, by pulling out. Any team that loses Harry Brook is messed up a bit, and they’ve got to now rejig everything and stuff like that. Forget him for a second, but if you do pull out, the rule is that you get a ban unless it’s for family reasons or… due to injury or something. If it’s injury or something, it’s different. But I think if you just pull out, then it’s… I kind of agree with the teams. You actually mess a lot of stuff up. He’s a top player. They’ve probably picked the team around him, and then all of a sudden, you’re pulling out,” the English all-rounder added. 

You know if you pull out, this is going to happen: Adil Rashid 

Rashid also stood in agreement with Moeen, stating that the rule cannot be termed as harsh as when all the players were made aware about the policies and the consequences of such an action.

“They actually put that rule in place before, and then this happened. So, you know when you’re going in, this is the rule. So when you put your name in, you know if you pull out, this is going to happen. So you know the consequences of it. So I don’t think it’s harsh, No, but if you pull out and you have, like you say, an injury or whatever, then I think that’s where something like the rules may differ or change in that way,” Rashid said.

“Not just him (Harry Brook), but… But this has been going on for, I don’t know, for a little while, I reckon. Mo (Moeen Ali) has been in the IPL a lot longer, but in the past probably five, ten years, a lot of players have been selected generally and have pulled out. So that’s why they’re trying to stop it that way,” Rashid concluded.