Mitchell Starc goes public with brutal new detail after Aussie cricket star loses $4.4m contract

Mitchell Starc has revealed no-one from the Kolkata Knight Riders reached out to him before or after losing his $4.4 million contract with the IPL franchise. The Aussie quick largely failed to live up to his record contract this year - the biggest ever handed out in the IPL - but did star in the final to help KKR win the title.

However, with franchises only able to retain a maximum of five incumbent players, it was revealed last week that Starc had been let go. And with the fast bowler turning 35 next year and showing in the past that he is willing to forego the bumper IPL contracts on offer, many thought he could have played in the IPL for the last time.

But despite KKR choosing not to retain his services for 2025, the Aussie has vowed to head to the auction as he revealed his disappointment with the franchise not keeping him in the loop or reaching out to him. "I still haven’t heard from them," Starc revealed to The Daily Telegraph. "It is what it is, that’s franchise cricket, so all barring the Hyderabad boys (Pat Cummins and Travis Head) will be in the auction."

Mitchell Starc still keen to play IPL in 2025

Starc helped KKR win the IPL title this year but as a whole, he failed to live up to his $4.4 million contract and it is no real surprise the Knight Riders opted not to retain the Aussie star and his record contract. However, with one of the main reported reasons for returning to the IPL last season being to prepare for the World Cup, it is somewhat of a surprise he has decided to return to the IPL auction.

Before last season, the left-arm quick hadn't played in the IPL since 2015, sacrificing around $10 million as he opted to put family and Test cricket first. One of the main reasons for him foregoing the IPL payday was his wife Alyssa Healy, who is a travelling cricketer in her own right.

And with busy schedules throughout the year, the couple had previously utilised the IPL window as a chance to be home and spend some time together. "Juggling one cricket schedule is hard enough, let alone when there's two in a relationship," Starc said late last year about foregoing the IPL payday.

"So I've always spent that time away from cricket with Alyssa or time with family and recharging my body for being as fit and as ready as I can for Australian cricket. I don't regret any of it. I think it's certainly helped my Test cricket. The money is always nice and certainly was this year but I've always prioritised international cricket and I think that's helped my game."

Pat Cummins and Travis Head retained by IPL franchises

Starc was far from the only Aussie who wasn't retained for the 2025 IPL season. The likes of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell and Mitch Marsh all will now head to the IPL auction to try and secure a contract for the 2025 season after not being retained.

Only Pat Cummins and Travis Head, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad, were retained for the next season, with Cummins set to captain the team again. The pair will earn $3.66m and $1.22m respectively in 2025. Head was the fourth-top run-scorer in the IPL in 2024 and Cummins took 18 wickets in 16 matches at 31.44 for runners-up Sunrisers.

Australians not retained by IPL franchises:

Mitchell Starc (Kolkata Knight Riders, $4.4m)

Cameron Green (Royal Challengers Bengaluru, $3.15m)

Glenn Maxwell (Royal Challengers Bengaluru, $2m)

Spencer Johnson (Gujarat Titans, $1.78m)

Marcus Stoinis (Lucknow Super Giants, $1.7m)

Tim David (Mumbai Indians, $1.53m)

Mitch Marsh (Delhi Capitals, $1.2m)

David Warner (Delhi Capitals, $1.16m)

Jhye Richardson (Delhi Capitals, $892,000)

Matthew Wade (Gujarat Titans, $446,000)

Adam Zampa (Rajasthan Royals, $270,000)

Ashton Turner (Lucknow Super Giants, $178,000)

Jason Behrendorff (Mumbai Indians, $135,000)

Nathan Ellis (Punjab Kings, $135,000)