England batter to skip IPL in favour of county stint at home

England batter Ben Duckett has given himself the best chance of regaining his best form by pulling out of the upcoming Indian Premier League with the Delhi Capitals.

Duckett will skip the IPL in favour of some red-ball cricket for county side Nottinghamshire, with the left-hander keen to prioritise some time in the middle ahead of a busy upcoming home summer for England.

England are scheduled to play a pair of three-match series this summer against New Zealand and Pakistan as part of the ICC World Test Championship, while the side also have white-ball fixtures with India and Sri Lanka at home across the next six months.

Duckett managed just 202 runs from 10 innings during England's disappointing Ashes tour of Australia at the start of the year and the 31-year-old is hoping a stint at county level will help him regain his best form in the Test arena.

"I have given this a lot of thought, and it has not been an easy choice," Duckett said.

"It felt like the best thing for me to do to be ready to play for England is to be here right now, at home, refreshing my mind and body.

"(I want to) play some four-day cricket for Notts, and try to find that form I had (early on) last summer."

Duckett's poor run of form with the bat continued after the Ashes, with the top-order performer struggling for consistency during a white-ball series in Sri Lanka in the lead-up to the recent ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

While Duckett was a part of England's squad at the T20 World Cup, he failed to feature in any of their matches and was watching on from the side as the side was bundled out by eventual winners India in the semi-final stage of the competition.

The chance to reunite with former England coach Peter Moores at Nottinghamshire also played a major part in Duckett's decision to turn his back on the IPL, with the veteran batter keen to keep playing for his country in all three formats.

“I want to work with Peter Moores, who knows my game inside out. It’ll be so refreshing, and good for my game, to go back to him. He’s a big part of where I am today," Duckett added.

“He knows where I’ve come from and will be a massive help for me. He might spot some nuggets that I’m doing differently from a year ago.

“(I will) just keep everything open and relaxed, go back to the drawing board, and see if there’s anything to refine.

"This is a decision I hope I will look back on in 10 years and see as a pivotal moment in my career, and the right decision."