IPL 2024: Mitchell Starc hints at retiring from ODIs to focus more on franchise leagues

Mitchell Starc was Player of the Final in IPL 2024 final.

Mitchell Starc, the star Australia cricketer, has hinted that he might retire from one of the formats in international cricket to focus more on T20 franchise cricket around the world.

Starc's return to the IPL has been nothing short of remarkable, culminating in a title victory with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). After years of prioritizing international cricket, Starc's choice to rejoin the lucrative league paid off, and he is now considering changing his cricketing commitments, possibly withdrawing from ODIs.

Starc, who had mostly avoided the IPL during his peak years to focus on national commitments and manage his workload, spoke about this adjustment at a news conference following KKR's eight-wicket victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 final. KKR won their third IPL title, with Starc playing a key role.

“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.

Moving forward… look, I am certainly closer to the end of my career than the start. One format may drop off. There is 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 said in the post-final press conference.

“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. 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 colors] again,” he added.

Mitchell Starc possibly hinted at dropping the ODI format, given that the next ICC World Cup will be in 2027 in South Africa.

“I’ve played a lot of cricket, so I know how to manage myself. 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 concluded.

(ANI inputs)