Australia pacer Mitchell Starc has disclosed the reason behind withdrawing his name from the Aussie side’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad. A week ahead of the ODI extravaganza, Starc cited personal reasons to pull out of the marquee 50-over tournament which left Australia without their formidable pace-trio that consists of captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood along with Starc. Cummins picked up the ankle injury during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 while Hazlewood couldn’t make it to the side due to his calf injury.
Appearing on the Willow Talk podcast, Starc revealed why he didn’t show up for Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025. "There's a few different reasons, some personal views, and had a bit of ankle pain through the Test series [against Sri Lanka]. So just get that one right, obviously we've got the Test final coming up and a West Indies tour after that” said the 35-year-old.
Starc said he took a break to appear in the upcoming IPL 2025 and World Test Championship (WTC) final 2025 to be played at the iconic Lord’s. However, he took the decision due to the WTC final, which is his top priority. "There's some IPL cricket as well, but my main one top of my mind is that Test final so get my body right, play some cricket in the next couple of months and then ready to go for the Test final," said Starc.
Starc will be seen serving Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025
Starc will be seen donning Delhi Capitals’ jersey in the upcoming IPL edition to be started from March 22. In the IPL 2025 auction held in Jeddah, Capitals reserved the Aussie pacer’s services after splurging INR 11.75 crore. In Kolkata Knight Riders’ third-title victory, Starc chipped in with 17 wickets in 14 matches.
Delhi will begin their IPL campaign on March 24 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Visakhapatnam. Starc will be expected to spearhead Delhi’s fast-bowling unit efficiently. After IPL 2025, Starc will join Australia’s Test squad that will take on South Africa in the WTC final 2025 to be held at the iconic Lord’s stadium from June 11 to 15.
