Ben Duckett: The opening batsman is withdrawing from the IPL in a bid to keep England’s place

Ben Duckett has withdrawn from the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) in a bid to retain his place in the England squad.

Duckett was set to make his debut for the lucrative franchise after he signed for Delhi Capitals in last December’s auction for £159,000.

But the opening batsman will now play Nottinghamshire in the first innings of the County Championship instead in a bid to rediscover his form.

The 31-year-old struggled with the bat at the end of last summer and has made just one half-century in 16 innings in all formats this winter.

During England’s ill-fated Ashes tour, the left-hander made 202 runs in 10 Test innings at 20.20 with a highest score of 42.

“I’ve thought about this a lot, and it wasn’t an easy choice,” Duckett said., external.

“I felt the best thing for me to be ready to play for England was to be here now, at home, refreshing my mind and body.

“[I want to] I play four-day cricket for Notts and try to find my form [early on] “Last summer.”

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, externalDuckett also said he is “desperate” to play in all three formats for England for as long as possible, and will “do everything” to be ready for the summer international.

He added, “This is a decision that I hope to look back on in 10 years and consider it a pivotal moment in my career and the right decision.”

England also sparked controversy over the winter due to allegations of heavy drinking by players during the Ashes, particularly during the break between Tests in the beach town of Noosa.

One video that appeared on social media – which the BBC has not verified – appears to show Duckett in a drunken state.

Duckett was named in England’s squad for the T20 World Cup that followed the Ashes, but did not feature in the tournament.

He regretted what happened in Noosa during the Ashes.

“I’m sorry about this incident. It was unprofessional and it wasn’t supposed to happen. There’s no getting away from it,” Duckett said.

“Not playing in the World Cup and being on the bench for India after such a tough Ashes series was a struggle for me. But it lit a huge fire in my belly to move forward.”

Players who withdraw from the IPL at short notice will be banned from participating in the next two seasons in a rule introduced to the world’s most lucrative T20 franchise league last season.

Duckett’s decision to withdraw means he is likely to face a ban from the tournament until after 2029, in addition to losing earnings.

Delhi’s loss is Nottinghamshire’s gain as director of cricket Mick Newell was delighted with the unexpected bonus of Duckett’s availability.

“We fully support and understand Ben’s decision, which we know he did not take lightly,” Newell said.

He added: “We are obviously very pleased to see him unexpectedly become available to us in the first part of the 2026 season, and we will continue to offer him our full support in his career.”

“I’m sure I’m not the only one who says I’m looking forward to seeing him in the White Nottinghamshire again very soon.”