Mitchell Starc, who largely avoided the IPL during his peak years, is contemplating retiring from ODI cricket to focus more on franchise leagues after winning the title with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
In a press conference following KKR’s victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 final in Chennai, where Starc played a pivotal role, he discussed his future plans. “The last nine years, I’ve prioritized Australian cricket. I’ve given myself a chance to give my body a break and spend time away from cricket with my wife, so that’s certainly been where my head’s been,” Starc said.
“Moving forward… look, I am certainly closer to the end of my career than the start. One format may drop off. There is a long time before the next one-day World Cup and whether that format continues for me or not… it may open doors for more franchise cricket.”
Starc, who had previously played just two IPL seasons with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2014 and 2015, often skipped the tournament to stay fit for international cricket. Despite this, he has only played 137 T20s throughout his career, which began in 2009.
Reflecting on his experience this season, Starc said, “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this season. It’s been great, it leads into the World Cup, that’s the other side of the benefit of being here against some amazing players in an amazing tournament. It’s a great lead-up to a World Cup.”
Looking ahead, he added, “Next year – I don’t know the schedule exactly – but I’ve enjoyed it, I look forward to being back next year and hopefully be seen in purple and gold [KKR’s colours] again.”
Starc, the most expensive IPL auction buy ever at INR 24.75 crore (approximately US$2,982,000), had a rough start, going wicketless in his first two games. However, he found his form later, with notable performances including a three-wicket haul against Lucknow Super Giants and a four-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians. He peaked during the playoffs, taking 3 for 34 and 2 for 14 against SRH in Qualifier 1 and the final, respectively.
“I’ve played a lot of cricket, so I know how to manage myself,” Starc said. “I haven’t played a lot of T20 cricket in the last few years, so for me, it was trying to find that rhythm of [the] T20 format and trying to stay ahead of batters.”
Starc’s hint at reducing his ODI commitments could pave the way for more appearances in franchise cricket, including the IPL, where he has already left a significant mark.
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