Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said Harry Brook’s absence will leave a void in Delhi Capitals’ batting for the upcoming IPL 2025. The English batter was roped in for INR 6.25 crore by the franchise in the IPL 2025 mega auction but he decided to pull out of the tournament.

Earlier in 2024, Brook decided to opt out of the lucrative tournament after the demise of his grandmother. As per the new BCCI rules, Brook has been banned for two years from taking part in the IPL.

Harbhajan Singh said on ESPN Cricinfo, “Harry Brook’s absence does make the batting order a little light because of the lack of power-hitting options. Stubbs is the only one, and you can’t expect him to come good in every game.”

The Turbanator said DC would want KL Rahul, who was bagged for INR 14 crore in the auction, to have a big season with the bat.

“KL Rahul might have to do what he always does. He will have to take the responsibility and score a lot of runs. They still need finishers – you can’t expect KL to be there in the second over and the last over. So that will be a challenge. Things are looking a little difficult.”

The former Indian spinner reckons Rahul will bat with a different mindset in the IPL as compared to his batting in ODIs.

“We’ll have to wait and watch. This is a different format. T20s and ODIs are completely different formats. You may say that in ODIs KL Rahul usually comes into bat with around 15 overs remaining. But, in those situations, you can afford to play some dot balls. In T20s, every dot ball is crucial and amps up the pressure on the batting team. The mindset will be different here.”

Delhi Capitals will begin their IPL 2025 campaign against Lucknow Super Giant at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium on 24th March.