It's about time someone raised this point. Sunil Gavaskar has asked the BCCI to increase the penalty for players who withdraw from the Indian Premier League after being selected in the auction. As it stands, the BCCI can ban players from the IPL for two years if they withdraw from the tournament without giving any credible reason. But Gavaskar thinks this punishment is just not enough. His comments came after England's Ben Duckett decided to withdraw from IPL 2026 after being bought for Rs 2 crore by the Delhi Capitals. Duckett cited work load management as the reason behind his withdrawal. Sunil Gavaskar told India Today: “It is a tough one. Clearly, Ben Duckett had a very good Ashes series, and if he had not been bought for the amount he was at The Hundred auction, maybe things would have been different. One can understand that, having been bought at a very good price in The Hundred, he was probably quite happy to miss this and say he wants to focus on his England Test career," Gavaskar questions the present penalty he is quite clear that a two-year ban on a player is clearly not enough to deter someone from pulling out of the IPL. Sunil Gavaskar added: “But yes, what should be done is something for the BCCI to think about as well, because a two-year ban is obviously not working. You have to look at something that will have an impact. As long as it’s not having an impact on the player and his chances of coming back to the IPL, it won’t work' As of now Ben Duckett will not be a part of the IPL in 2026 and 2027. Fellow Englishman, Harry Brook faced a two-year ban as he decided to withdraw from IPL 2025 despite being bought for Rs 6.25 crore. Also Read | Top 3 Key Player Battles to Watch in RR vs CSK - IPL 2026 Match 03 Late withdrawals affecting teams severely Late withdrawals are always a bit of a concern for all the teams and it affects the team's combinations quite a bit as they can only replace the players late and can't strategise well enough. Often, players enter the auction and after getting bought at relatively cheaper prices, withdraw from the league, stating varied reasons. However, this does not affect the teams as they can sign replacements, but still it puts them in a lot of trouble. The BCCI earlier had to introduce a two-year ban rule to prevent such issues, but recent events suggest the punishment might not be enough and more should be done.