March 24 (Reuters) - England opener Ben Duckett has withdrawn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) four days before the start of the tournament to focus on his international career, a decision that could leave him facing a two-season ban from the league.
The 31-year-old, who scored 202 runs at an average of 20.20 during the Ashes, was bought by Delhi Capitals for 20 million rupees ($213,167) at the auction.
Under IPL rules, any player who registers for the auction, is picked by a franchise and makes himself unavailable before the start of the season can be barred from participating in the tournament and the player auction for two seasons.
"I have made the extremely difficult decision to withdraw from the IPL. I have given this a lot of thought and it has not been an easy choice," Duckett wrote on Instagram.
"Representing England is something I have dreamed of since I was a child, and I want to give everything I can to English cricket. To do that, I need to ensure I am in the best possible place physically and mentally ahead of the summer.
"I would like to sincerely apologise to everyone at Delhi. I was genuinely very excited about the opportunity to represent the franchise, and I fully appreciate the time and planning that goes into building a squad.
"I am sorry for any disruption my decision may cause. I would also like to apologise to all the fans, as I know how much the team means to everyone in Delhi."
The IPL runs from March 28 to May 31.
($1 = 93.8230 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
