Delhi Capitals have named South African pacer Lizaad Williams as England batter Harry Brook's replacement for the remainder of the Indian Premier League 2024. Williams comes in at his base price of Rs 50 lakhs for the England star.
"Lizaad Williams, the South African fast bowler, has been signed by the Delhi Capitals as a replacement for England’s Harry Brook for the remainder of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024," IPL wrote in a statement.
"Since making his international debut in 2021, Williams has represented South Africa in two Tests, four One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 11 T20 Internationals. He joins Delhi Capitals at his base price of INR 50 lakhs," the IPL body added.
Brook had pulled out from the league due to personal reasons, which he later revealed. The England batter revealed that he opted out of the Indian cash-rich tournament due to the death of his Grandmother, who was a "rock" to him. He had earlier pulled out from the India vs England Test series after learning that his Grandmother was seriously ill and did not had much time left.
"I can confirm that I have made the very difficult decision not to play in the upcoming IPL. I was so excited to be picked by Delhi Capitals and was so looking forward to joining up with everyone. Whilst I don’t think I should need to share my personal reasons behind this decision, I know there will be many asking why. So I do want to share this. I lost my Grandmother last month – she was a rock to me and I spent a huge amount of my childhood in her home; my attitude to life and love for cricket was shaped by her and my late grandfather," a part of his social media post dating March 13, 2024 read.
Brook is now set to return to cricketing action as he has made himself available for the County Championship for Yorkshire. He will be playing in the initial matches of the domestic tournament.
Meanwhile, Williams has not been part of the Indian cash-rich league before and will be making his maiden appearance if he gets into the Playing XI. The speedster can also bat a bit in the lower order. He was included in ODI World Cup 2023 too as a replacement along with Andile Phehlukwayo for Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala. He got to play one game in the tournament - against Bangladesh.
DC are having a tough time in the tournament and have lost four of the five games. DC will be playing against Lucknow Super Giants next on April 12.
