Harry Brook to make Yorkshire comeback in early Championship rounds

Harry Brook will play for Yorkshire in the early stages of the County Championship season, after withdrawing from the IPL in order to be close to his grieving family.

Brook, 25, was due to play for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 after he was bought for INR 4 crore (£380,000) at December's auction in Dubai. But he pulled out of the tournament earlier this month following the death of his grandmother Pauline, with whom he shared a close relationship.

He is yet to play any competitive cricket in 2024, having also withdrawn from England's recent Test tour to India. But he will now tune up for June's T20 World Cup by playing for Yorkshire in the County Championship, with their head coach Ottis Gibson suggesting he will be available from the outset.

Yorkshire's opening match of the season starts on April 5 at Headingley against Leicestershire. "Now that Brooky isn't going to the IPL, I suspect he's going to be available for us for the first few games, including [against] Leicestershire," Gibson told the Yorkshire website.

Brook said in a statement when pulling out of the IPL that "nothing is more important to me than family". His decision to withdraw will enable him to be with them in Yorkshire while still playing competitively.

Gibson also hinted that Joe Root will be made available for some early-season fixtures by the ECB, having opted out of IPL 2024 himself. "He [Brook] loves playing for us, and Rooty is also going to be available for some games in that early period," Gibson said. "Having those two playing for us would be special."