England batter Harry Brook was signed by Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 6.25 crore during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega-auction last November.

However, Brook withdrew from his contract at the last moment, stressing that representing England remains his "priority and focus." His decision left former England skipper Kevin Pietersen disappointed.

Pietersen, who is currently associated wit DC as a mentor, has now opened up on Brook not turning up for the biggest T20 competition in the world.

In an interaction with ESPNCricinfo, Pietersen said he was really looking forward to working with Brook, citing that England's newly-appointed white-ball captain has some real shortcomings against spin and how he needs to work them out if he wants to improve.

“I told him, I was like, 'Dude, I'm gutted that I can't work with you for a few months.' I think that he is a star. You don't hit one ball over extra cover and the next, same ball, over midwicket if you can't play,” said Pietersen.

“So he can properly play, but he has technical flaws in the subcontinent, in India, in particular. I really wanted to work with him, but people make their own choices in life and you've got to respect them. He has a flaw playing spin in India - a real big flaw. Two months here, imagine what might have happened if he had fixed that,” he added.

Harry Brook has now been banned from participating in the IPL for two years. As per the Indian board’s new policy, Brook cannot enter auction for the next couple of years as he pulled out after being picked in the grand auction.

Pietersen said he wanted to work with Brook in the same manner like he did with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow earlier.

“I would've worked the same with him as I did with [Joe] Root and [Jonny] Bairstow at the start of their careers. Root turned out to be the greatest player of spin England's ever had,” Pietersen remarked.

“I'm not saying it's because of what we did when he was a youngster, but we spent hours together batting in the nets, going through drills and practising. I love that stuff,” he concluded.