About three months out from the IPL 2024 mini-auction, Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has confirmed that he will enter the auction and will play in the IPL next year.
Mitchell Starc, who played in the 2014 and 2015 IPL seasons for RCB, added that the IPL 2024 will give him the preparation time and more experience ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in June in the West Indies and the USA.
Perfect opportunity to put my name in IPL auction: Mitchell Starc
If he’s bought in the IPL 2024 mini-auction – the chances of which are very high, and he could bag a hefty contract given his stature, experience, and skillset of a left-arm fast bowler who can also add batting depth – he will make a return to the IPL after 9 years.
“Look it’s been eight years. I’m definitely going back in [next] year,” Starc said on the Willow Talk Cricket Podcast. “Amongst other things, it’s a great lead-up to the T20 World Cup.
“So a good opportunity to see if anyone’s interested in the IPL, then lead into the T20 World Cup. And it’s somewhat of a quiet winter next year…in comparison to this winter, so I think a perfect opportunity to put my name in.”
In the 2 years with RCB in 2014 and 2015, Mitchell Starc picked 34 wickets in 27 matches with a best of 4/15.
The Kolkata Knight Riders had bought Starc for INR 9.4 crore, but he had to pull out of the tournament owing to an injury. Starc has since then not appeared in the IPL auction as he’s preferred to rest to be fresh and fit for Australia’s all three formats.
Next year, though, isn’t a lot of cricket scheduled for Australia. And with the IPL being just ahead of the T20 WC 2024, Mitchell Starc has decided to play in the league after all.
For now, Mitchell Starc’s focus is on the upcoming World Cup 2023 in India. He was the leading wicket-taker in the last two ODI World Cups, and won the tournament with Australia in 2015.
“I try not to look too far ahead with anything. Obviously, we want to do well in the World Cup. Then we’ve got five Test matches here in Australia and then I haven’t actually played a Test in New Zealand, so hopefully I’m on that tour and look forward to that challenge as well.”
