Mitchell Starc, the Australian pace sensation has opted out of the mega auction ahead of the IPL 2022 season, despite hinting towards a return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the first time since the 2015 season.
During his two-year stint with the RCB, the pacer picked 34 wickets in 27 matches at an economy rate of 7.16 and a strike rate of 17.
Mitchell Starc Didn’t Want To Spend 22 More Weeks In A Bio-Bubble Hence Opted Out Of IPL 2022 Auctions
Speaking on his decision to not enter the auction, Mitchell Starc explained that he needed to stay away from bio-bubble for a while to get his body refreshed for Australia’s next international assignment.
“I was a click of the button away from entering the auctions but personally didn’t want to spend 22 more weeks in a bubble, needed some time to refresh the body, and for me, that’s prioritizing Aussie games,” Starc said.
Mitchell Starc has been on the road with the Australian team from the Men’s T20I World Cup 2021 last year. He played in the Ashes 2021/22, which the Aussies won. If not for the cancelled series against New Zealand, Mitchell Starc would have been in action.
Mitchell Starc Would Love To Go Back To The IPL
Mitchell Starc, who played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014 and 2015, added that while he would love to return to the tournament, he needs to spend more time with his family.
The 32-year-old was seen supporting her wife Alyssa Healy, who is playing the Women’s Ashes in Canberra. In the past, too, Mitchell Starc has openly spoken about being there for his wife. He flew down from South Africa to watch Alyssa Healy play the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020 and also helped her prepare ahead of the women’s series against India last year.
“There’ll be a time where I’d love to go back to the IPL but in terms of wanting to play as much as I can for Australia, a multi-format player as well, that’s a decision I’ve taken and that gives me an opportunity to spend time with Alyssa and family in those eight weeks outside of a cricket bubble,” he added.
Mitchell Starc was recently part of the Ashes series and will next be part of the three-match ODI series and one-off T20I against New Zealand at home, followed by a five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in February. Later that month, the Test team will also be up against Pakistan in a three-match contest followed by a limited-overs series which will continue till April 5. The left-arm pacer played all the five Ashes Tests taking 19 wickets in the series.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc was awarded the Allan Border medal for an exceptional year on the field. The Australian fast bowler picked up 43 wickets at an average of 24.4 in the calendar year and finished as the country’s leading wicket-taker. He ended the year as the second-highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded Ashes series in which, Australia won 4-0 with 19 wickets to the pacers name.