Mitchell Starc, the Australian cricket star, might make a comeback to the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024 after an eight-year hiatus.
Australia's premier fast bowler has expressed his intention to return in the next edition of IPL. This move is seen as ideal preparation for the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the USA in June of the same year.
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If Starc is picked up by an IPL franchise, it would be his first appearance in the tournament since 2015 when he represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
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What did Mitchell Starc say about participating in IPL?
"Look it's been eight years. I'm definitely going back in [next] year," Starc told the Willow Talk Cricket Podcast about his IPL ambitions.
"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 past, he considered returning to the IPL but prioritized time at home due to Australia's demanding cricket schedule.
However, the upcoming year offers a relatively lighter schedule for Australia, with only the T20 World Cup scheduled between a tour of New Zealand in March and a white-ball series against Afghanistan, Ireland, and England from late August. This presents a perfect opportunity for Starc to make his IPL comeback and prepare for the T20 World Cup.
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Starc wants to play 100 Tests for Australia
Another reason, Starc has often chosen to sit out of the IPL is to prioritize Test cricket. He aims to make a century of appearances in Test matches, a milestone achieved only by Glenn McGrath among Australian fast bowlers.
Currently, Starc has played 82 Test matches. If he continues to feature in all of Australia's upcoming fixtures according to the Future Tours Programme, he could reach his 100th Test match during the 2025-26 Ashes series.
"Not just get to 100, I'd like to be good enough to be picked for 100 Tests," he said. "And then the big one obviously in a couple of weeks is the World Cup, which in India just goes to another level.
"And then you look at the one-day format, it's sort of four years in between World Cups, so where do I see myself in that mix? But I've got to get to the end of this World Cup first.
"But we've got some superstars coming through. You've got your Jhye Richardsons, your Sean Abbotts, your Spencer Johnsons. You've got plenty of young guys coming through. [Lance] Morris is going to be a gun.
"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."
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What is Mitchell Starc's record in IPL?
Batting & Fielding Stats
| YEAR | MAT | NO | RUNS | HS | AVG | BF | SR | 100 | 50 | 4S | 6S | CT | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 27 | 5 | 96 | 29 | 13.71 | 98 | 97.96 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2015 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 9* | 11.00 | 14 | 78.57 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2014 | 14 | 3 | 85 | 29 | 14.16 | 84 | 101.19 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Bowling Stats
| YEAR | MAT | BALLS | RUNS | WKTS | BBM | AVE | ECON | SR | 4W | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | 27 | 580 | 693 | 34 | 4/15 | 20.38 | 7.17 | 17.06 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 | 13 | 258 | 291 | 20 | 4/15 | 14.55 | 6.76 | 12.90 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 14 | 322 | 402 | 14 | 2/21 | 28.71 | 7.49 | 23.00 | 0 | 0 |
