'I'm definitely going back': One of best in the world to make IPL comeback after 9 years

Mitchell Starc, an Australian senior fast bowler, plans to return to the Indian Premier League in 2024. With the T20 World Cup approaching after the 2023 ODI World Cup, he sees his return to the IPL 2024 as the "perfect opportunity" to be ready. He last played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2015. Starc's choice is noteworthy because it would be his first IPL in the last eight years. 

3 things you need to know 

• Mitchell Starc led Australia in the World Test Championship Final 2023 
• Mitchell Starc intends to prepare for the next ICC T20I World Cup 
• Starc last played in the IPL for RCB

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Mitchell Starc makes a huge statement on his IPL 2024 return

Mitchell Starc has announced that he will be participating in the IPL once again in 2024, citing the league as ideal preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States. If he is picked up, it will be his first time playing in the IPL in 2015. Starc's previous stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore spanned two seasons and twenty-seven games.

Starc joined the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018, however, an injury forced him to withdraw. He had previously thought about going back to the IPL, but given Australia's gruelling multi-format schedule, he eventually decided to put his time at home first.

[Mitchell Starc celebrates after dismissing Dwayne Smith for a duck; Image: BCCI]

A tour of New Zealand in March and white-ball series against Afghanistan, Ireland, and England beginning in late August make up the bulk of Australia's cricket calendar for the next year. This convenient timing allows Starc to return to the IPL and refine his skills before the T20 World Cup. Talking on the ’Willow Talk Cricket Podcast,’ he said: 

Look it's been eight years. I'm definitely going back in [next] year.

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.

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Did Starc prioritise Test cricket over IPL?

The key factor that influenced Mitchell Starc's prioritization of Test cricket over the IPL in the past was his vow to give Test matches his entire attention. While he hasn't set a definite end date for his career, he does have a personal objective of playing in 100 Test matches. Glenn McGrath, an Australian fast bowler, is the only one at the moment to have accomplished this feat.

Starc has already taken part in 82 Test matches. If he continues to play in all of Australia's remaining games, as specified in the Future Tours Programme, his 100th Test match is likely to occur during the 2025–26 Ashes series. This lofty objective exemplifies his commitment to the game's longest format and his desire to leave an imprint in Australian Test cricket.