Ben Duckett was bought by DC in IPL 2026 auction for INR 2 crores.
Gavaskar’s words came after England opener Ben Duckett, who was bought in the IPL 2026 auction by Delhi Capitals (DC) for his base price of INR 2 crore, pulled out of the tournament, citing a focus on his England Test career. The 31-year-old endured a horrendous Ashes 2025-26 campaign, scoring just 202 runs in 10 innings.
With this decision, Duckett, like his white-ball captain Harry Brook, will be barred from playing in the IPL for the next two years. However, Gavaskar believes that this punishment has failed to deter last-minute withdrawals and that the BCCI should impose a more stringent and harsher penalty.
“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 told India Today.
“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,” he added.
Gavaskar was unable to provide a clear answer when asked what the appropriate punishment should be. He used sluggish overrate penalties during games as an example of how the penalty has an immediate impact.
“I don't know. I am not on the governing council. I haven't thought about it. Like, for example, every time when we talk about penalizing, when you talk about penalizing teams bowling slowly by having another fielder inside the 30-meter circle rather than outside, that is a penalty that can have an impact on the game," said Gavaskar.
“That's a very effective penalty. Bowlers and fielders would want to move very fast because they want all five fielders outside the 30m circle for the last few overs. So, I think you need some sort of penalty that can have an impact. That has to affect the individual player. So, I don't know how that happens, but it is clearly something the BCCI has to sit down and think about,” he added.
Delhi Capitals will face Lucknow Super Giants in their first match of IPL 2026 in Lucknow on April 1.