India-Pakistan Tensions or WTC Final? Mitchell Starc Reveals Why he Did Not Return For IPL After Resumption

IPL 2025: The Indian Premier League season 18 was halted in-between for a very brief period due to the tensions between India and Pakistan along the border, but soon, once things were under control - it resumed. But unfortunately, when IPL was halted, a number of overseas players had returned home and a few did not return. One of the star cricketers who did not return after the resumption of IPL 2025 was veteran Australian pacer Mitchell Starc. Weeks after that, he has broken his silence and revealed why he opted not to return to India. 

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Starc went on to cite that he had made a similar decision in during the Champions Trophy in Pakistan as well. He also admitted that he had made up his mind to focus on red-ball cricket with the World Test Championship final coming up. 

‘My focus changed to red-ball cricket’

"I’m comfortable with my decision and how I felt about the whole situation and how it was handled. That’s why I made my decision post-that, and my focus changed to red-ball cricket for about a week prior to coming over here. Time will tell with repercussions or how it looks with guys that didn’t return. But I’ve had my questions and concerns leading into that game, and obviously, we saw what happened, which played a part in my decision," said Starc to Sydney Morning Herald. 

"There was a little bit of that to my decision around the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. And then once the tournament was delayed you start to think about guys’ preparation for the Test match," he added.

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WTC Final Beckons

In the upcoming WTC 2025 final, Australia take on South Africa in what promises to be a mouthwatering contest. Both sides boast of quality, world class crickters. Without a doubt, Starc with the new ball would play a huge role in that game.