England’s newly appointed white-ball captain Harry Brook has opened up about his decision to skip the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Brook has pointed out that workload management and the national duty would be his priority after being named England's captain. Brook was bought by Delhi Capitals for INR 6.25 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction but chose to withdraw before the start of the season. This is the second straight year that Brook has pulled out of the IPL, which could potentially attract a ban under the league’s revised regulations. Also Read: 'MS Dhoni as CSK captain is a different beast': Sourav Ganguly Speaking about the potential during his first media interaction as England captain, Brook said that he is committed to playing cricket for England first. “That’s the rules, so if I do get banned, fair play. I’m completely committed to playing cricket for England. If that means franchise [cricket] takes a step back for a little while, so be it," he said. Brook also reflected on the workload management and how the move to opt out of IPL 2025 was largely driven by the need to balance his calendar. “Having this period after deciding to pull out of the IPL was the right decision for me. It wasn’t an easy decision, obviously, but I’ve got to try and manage my workload. I’ve played a hell of a lot of cricket over the last year and a half, and it’s only going to be more going forward,” he said. In a message shared earlier on Instagram, Brook also apologised to his IPL franchise and fans: “I have made the very difficult decision to pull out of the upcoming IPL. I apologise unreservedly to the Delhi Capitals and their supporters.” "Going to be myself": Brook on his leadership style During the media interaction, Harry Brook also spoke about his plans as England captain and how he intends to shape the team environment moving forward. “I just want to play cricket for England, represent my country like I have done over the last few years and hopefully have a big impact on the side moving forward,” Brook said. He also opened up about how he wants to maintain a calm dressing room environment. “I’m going to be myself, as much as I possibly can be. Be relaxed, be calm, try to have a lot of fun and enjoy it. If you’re playing cricket for England, we’re all living that dream," he said. Brook also confirmed that Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow remain very much in the mix for future white-ball assignments. “With the schedule, [Stokes is] not going to be available all the time. But he’s one of the best players in the world and we’d be stupid to turn a blind eye to him.” Speaking about Bairstow, Brook added: “There’s no reason why he can’t get selected again. We’ve all seen that he can put the best bowlers under pressure and score big runs.” England's next white-ball assignment is in May, where they will host West Indies for an ODI and T20I series, starting from May 29.