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Mitchell Starc avoided the IPL for the majority of his prime years, but he may give up one sport altogether after leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title. That sport might be one-day ODI cricket.
“The last nine years, I’ve prioritised Australian cricket. I have given myself a chance to give my body a break and spend some time away from cricket with my wife as well, so that’s certainly been where my head’s been for the last nine years,” Starc said at a press conference after the IPL 2024 final in Chennai, where KKR steamrolled Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to win their third title, with Starc playing a starring role.
“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.”
Additionally, playing for a franchise could mean skipping two months of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which he has only participated in twice previously—for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2014 and 2015—in order to stay healthy and fresh for playing for other countries.
In actuality, Starc has only played 137 Twenty20 matches in his many years of playing elite cricket (he made his debut for his country in 2009).
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this season,” he said. “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.
“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.”