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Mitchell Starc (Image Credit: BCCI/IPL)
Mitchell Starc won the Allan Border Medal for the year 2021 on Saturday. His sensational performances for Australia last year ensured that he became the fifth Australian bowler to win this prestigious medal. However, it's been a while since he last featured in the Indian T20 league.
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The last time he played in the biggest T20 league in the world was way back in 2015. As he had recently hinted that he might register his name for the upcoming mega auction, there was a lot of hype around him making a comeback to the Indian T20 league. However, in what came as sad news to all the cricket fans, he had decided to opt out of the 2022 mega auction.
He cited the fact that he wanted to be fit for Australia's next international assignment. The speedster also stated that he didn't want to spend 22 more weeks in a bubble. Thus, he wanted to prioritize the international games.
I was a click of the button away from entering the auctions: Mitchell Starc
"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," said Mitchell Starc, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. He also mentioned that it gives him the opportunity to spend more time with his family.
"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. It is to be noted that he had registered his name for the previous mega auction in 2018.
As a matter of fact, the Kolkata Knight Riders had managed to buy him during that auction as well. However, an injury meant that he had to be ruled out of that edition of the tournament. As of now, the 32-year-old has only played for one franchise in the Indian T20 league, and that's the Royal Challengers Bangalore.