Harry Brook was signed by Delhi Capitals for INR 4 crore at the IPL 2024 auction but had to pull out of the tournament at the last moment.
Delhi Capitals suffered a big blow when England international Harry Brook pulled out of IPL 2024 citing personal reasons. Later, Brook mentioned in his Instagram post that his grandmother had died last month and he needed to be there with his family at the time of grief. He thanked the ECB and Delhi Capitals for all the support.
Harry Brook was signed for INR 4 crore in the IPL 2024 auction. Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal revealed a few days ago that they were seeing Brook as a potential finisher in the upcoming season. Now that Brook is unavailable, DC will be looking for further options who can fill the gap in the squad.
Let’s have a look at five players who can replace Harry Brook in Delhi Capitals squad.
Jake Fraser-McGurk has been in sizzling form with the bat recently. The young batter from South Australia is known for his explosive style of batting and his style suits T20 cricket. In Big Bash League 2023-24, the youngster scored 257 runs in eight innings at an average of 32.12. He batted with a strike rate of 158.64, which was the most important aspect of his batting.
In October last year, he smashed a century off just 29 balls, and broke AB de Villiers’ record for the fastest hundred in a List A match. The 21-year-old was rewarded an ODI debut for Australia in February 2024 for his impressive performances. In just the second ODI of his career, he cracked an eye-catching 41 off 18 balls against West Indies, which included 5 fours and 3 sixes.
According to the report from Code Sports, Fraser-McGurk is already in talks with the DC management. He is the frontrunner to replace Harry Brook. If he gets selected, this will be his maiden IPL experience.
The experienced South Africa batter went unsold in IPL 2024 auction. But he has shown good form recently in PSL 2024, where he has scored 364 runs at an average of 73 and a strike rate of 155. Van der Dussen is currently just behind Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the run-scoring charts.
In the 2023 ODI World Cup played in India, Van der Dussen scored 448 runs at an average of 49.77. He has shown excellent skills of batting against spin in the middle overs. He has been a part of Rajasthan Royals previously, where he played just 3 games. His excellent record in the subcontinent may prompt Delhi Capitals to sign him.
It’s hard to believe that Sarfaraz Khan does not have an IPL contract right now. The 26-year-old went unsold in IPL 2024 auction. The youngster recently made headlines when he made his international debut in India’s Test series against England. He showed excellent form in his maiden Test series with three fifties in five innings. He will be high on confidence after his Test debut.
Sarfaraz has the ability to score runs quickly as he showed in his maiden Test series. Although he is a quality red-ball player, he has the technique to adapt to the T20 format as well. His array of sweeps and the ability to play spin can be useful for Delhi Capitals in the middle overs. He has previously played some games for Delhi Capitals when he was part of the franchise. He can be a perfect swap for Harry Brook..
The Sri Lanka ODI captain was another surprise who got unsold in IPL 2024 auction. Mendis has the ability to score quick runs. He has scored 3723 runs at a strike rate of 136 in T20 cricket. He is usually a top order batter but is equally good while playing spin with his sweeps.
Mendis has been in good form with the bat recently. In the T20I series against Bangladesh, he scored 181 runs in 3 matches at a brilliant strike rate of 160. He is a safe wicketkeeper and an excellent fielder, which can work in his favour. He is yet to play in the IPL.
The Australian wicketkeeper-batter has a terrific BBL record which can be useful for his IPL contract. Inglis was a part of Australia’s 2023 ODI World Cup winning eleven. He is a useful middle order batter and can score quick runs towards the end.
Inglis has a variety of shots in his arsenal which makes him a versatile T20 batter. He plays sweeps, reverse-sweeps, and scoops to great perfection and can unsettle the lines of any bowler. He scored a 47-ball 100 against India last year at Vizag.
Apart from all these five players, Steve Smith, James Neesham, and Michael Bracewell are a few other players who can replace Harry Brook in Delhi Capitals squad. Although, all these three players haven’t played any competitive T20s recently, which can work against their favour.
Also read: Harry Brook reveals reason behind his decision to pull out of IPL 2024
Replacing a player of Harry Brook’s calibre won’t be an easy task. Brook is an accomplished white-ball player for England. He has scored 3032 runs at an average of 32 in T20 cricket. His strike rate of 150 shows how destrucitve batter he can be in the format.
Delhi Capitals will begin its IPL 2024 campaign against Punjab Kings on March 23 at a new stadium in Mullanpur. In a good news for the Capitals, their captain Rishabh Pant will make a much-awaited return to competitive cricket after missing the last season. Pant has been passed fit by the BCCI to play as a wicketkeeper-batter.
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