Mitchell Starc in IPL 2022 Mega Auction? Australia Pacer Considers Ending Seven-Year Isolation

Mitchell Starc last played the IPL in 2015 and has not featured in the tournament, either due to injuries or international commitments.

Mitchell Starc (Image credit: Twitter)
By Siddharth vishwanathan | Jan 12, 2022 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

Mitchell Starc has had mixed fortunes in the IPL in his career. In 2014, he was purchased by the Royal Challengers Bangalore and played a major part in 2015 when they reached the second qualifier. Starc was injured in 2016 and could not play for two subsequent years. But, in 2018, Starc was one of the major bank-breakers in the IPL Auction when he was bought for Rs 9.4 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders. But, yet another injury curtailed his participation and he was released by the franchise in November 2018.

Now, Starc is considering putting his name up for the 2022 IPL Mega-Auction. In an interview with the official Cricket Australia Website, Starc said he was considering putting his name down in a couple of days. “I’ve got two days to get my paperwork in, so that might be something I do today before training. I’ve not put my name down just yet, but I’ve got a couple more days to decide on that. It’s certainly on the table, regardless of the schedule coming up. I haven’t been for six years or so. With obviously a heavy weighting towards T20s over the last period of time and the World Cup coming up later this year, that’s one to take into consideration,” Starc stated.

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Mitchel Starc and his Dicey IPL past

For Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mitchell Starc was their gun bowler. He took 34 wickets in 27 games at an economy rate of 7.16. Playing under Virat Kohli, Starc was one of the best bowlers in a Royal Challengers Bangalore line-up that struggled for penetration.

His exit from Kolkata Knight Riders was acrimonious. The left-arm pacer started feeling pain in his right leg during the second Test against South Africa. It worsened in the third Test in Cape Town which saw him fracture his tibial bone. However, the insurers stated that Starc’s timing of the injury was ‘suspicious’.

According to the terms of the Insurance which was close to USD 1.53 million, Starc needed to prove that “he suffered a single, sudden and unexpected event which occurred at an identifiable time and place” to avail the insurance. The left-arm pacer filed a lawsuit against his insurers in April 2020. According to several media reports, Starc’s manager mediated in May and furnished video footage as proof of his injury. But, the talks failed. In November, Starc got a message from the Kolkata Knight Riders team that he was released from the contract.

Australia’s T20I schedule

Australia has a busy schedule even after the end of the Ashes. Starc has played in all four Tests and has shouldered a significant burden. The Pink Ball Test in Hobart might give him a chance to showcase his mettle yet again. But, the workload has to be managed. Starc will play three ODIs and a T20I against New Zealand at home in January and February. After the end of the New Zealand series, Australia will host Sri Lanka for five Twenty20 Internationals.

After that, Australia will undertake a path-breaking tour of Australia for three Tests, three ODIs, and a Twenty20 International. Australia will be touring Pakistan after 24 years. In the last series they played on Pakistan soil, Australia won the three-Test series 1-0.





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