Kevin Pietersen Comments on Harry Brook's IPL Suspension and Missing Out on Key Experience

Delhi Capitals mentor Kevin Pietersen has voiced his disappointment at England young batter Harry Brook opting out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Pietersen, another ex-England cricketer, also expressed his disappointment that he was not able to work with Brook to address the batter's technical issues when facing spin in the subcontinent. He had wanted to help Brook tighten his game, particularly for the assignment in India. Brook was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 6.25 crore in the IPL mega auction last season. But he withdrew from the tournament before the season began after feeling the need to "recharge" before an English cricket team-dominated frantic international season.

This withdrawal wasn't the first time Brook had missed the IPL. He pulled out of the tournament last season for personal reasons, with his grandmother having sadly passed away. As a result, Brook had also missed out on England's tour of India. For twice withdrawing consecutively, as per IPL norms, Brook has been given a two-year ban.

Brook had played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2023 and had scored 190 runs in 11 matches. His performance was subpar, with a 22.11 average. His highest performance came in the form of a century against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), yet his overall experience in the 2023 IPL did not reveal his actual ability. Pietersen, eager to work alongside him, demonstrated the technical flaws that he witnessed in Brook's game, specifically against spin bowling in the subcontinent. He explained how he was "bitterly disappointed" not to have been able to help Brook eradicate such mistakes. Pietersen noted Brook has issues playing spin in India, which he was eager to assist him in overcoming.

Pietersen continued to explain that Brook has the potential to be an outstanding player, highlighting how the batsman can so easily play the ball over midwicket and extra cover, showing his potential. However, Pietersen highlighted that the technical lack in Brook's game against spin, especially in India, was what kept him from fulfilling his potential. He hoped that Brook would have taken a couple of months to sort out all those issues in India because that could have provided a genuine turnaround to his game.

Brook's record at India has also not been great till now. In his whole career, Brook has made a total of 310 runs at an average of 22.14 in a total of 14 matches including the scorecard of 2023 Cricket World Cup as well. Brook has been having a tough time against spin bowling throughout his whole career. In the recent Indian ODI and T20I series earlier this year, he made only 141 runs in a total of eight innings. He was bowled by spinners in all five T20Is, and three of them were courtesy Varun Chakravarthy and two courtesy Ravi Bishnoi.

Pietersen also compared his experiences with that of some other England players such as Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow who had faced a similar dilemma at the beginning of their career. Pietersen narrated how he dedicated hours of practice with them in the nets, which assisted them in moving beyond their struggle against spin. Pietersen said that Root had emerged as one of England's all-time greats against spin. Though Pietersen conceded that his contributions towards Root's performance might not have been the sole factor, he believed that their training sessions aided him in his development. Pietersen too harbored the same wish to help Brook develop in the same way.

Renowned for his excellent record in India in all formats, Pietersen played 36 games and scored 1,876 runs at 45.75 average with three centuries and 13 half-centuries. His best performance was 186 runs in a Test match against Mumbai in 2012. Pietersen's experience of India is one which he would have wished to share with Brook. He was keen on working with the young batsman, but now that Brook has skipped the IPL for the second consecutive year, Pietersen's aspirations were crushed.

At the same time, Delhi Capitals, Pietersen's team, is placed fifth on the IPL points table with six victories and four defeats. They have their next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Hyderabad.