Premier Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has kept his distance from the cash-rich Indian Premier League. 31-year-old Starc last featured for an IPL team in 2015. Starc has an impressive record of 34 wickets in 27 IPL games. Starc has either missed the tournament due to injuries or because of other personal commitments. Starc was expected to play in this year’s IPL, however, shockingly he decided to opt-out of the Indian top-tier tournament this season as well.
IPL 2021: Why Mitchell Starc Does Not Play In The IPL?
Mitchell Starc has finally opened up about his decision to skip the IPL. Starc is more focused and motivated to play red-ball cricket in the Sheffield Sheild Trophy instead of featuring for the high-end IPL teams. He is enjoying his cricket there and wants to play the role of a senior head in the competition when other players will leave for the IPL this year.
“I wanted to play as much Shield cricket as I could. Managing a few little things with the body and wanting to play as much red-ball cricket as I could with certain guys heading off to the IPL, it was my intention to be the constant in the Shield team and hopefully play the role there as a senior head in the team” Starc told cricket.com.au, explaining his decision to skip the IPL.
Mitchell Starc has only played in 5 games for New South Wales in the 2021 edition of the tournament. “I haven’t played in a Shield final yet, I’d love to help the boys get there and take part and hopefully be a part of the group to win the Shield. That was my first intention. I’ve played three formats for a long time, and I find my game plan doesn’t change too much across the formats but still, Shield and Test match cricket is the pinnacle for me,” Starc concluded
