Mitchell Starc

Imagine Mitchell Starc behind the stumps as a wicketkeeper. Yes, you read that right. Aged 14 in junior cricket, Starc was an aspiring wicketkeeper, but a lucky intervention by a club coach, turned his career path to bowling. Neil D'Costa, who spotted Starc during that trial, pulled him out and suggested the young boy take up bowling, which he would teach him how to bowl.

As D'Costa had thought the switch worked out perfectly well with Starc picking up the nuances of bowling fast and also started to clock 135km/hr by the time he was 16-years-old. He was soon selected for New South Wales U-17s, and never looked back.

After showing promising skills in junior cricket, he made his debut in the Sheffield Shield for New South Wales at 19. In his debut match he picked two wickets. In the subsequent Shield season, he claimed 21 wickets in eight matches, including an impressive 5 for 74 against Queensland. Starc's breakthrough came in the domestic One-Day tournament where he took 26 wickets in just 6 matches, with an average of 8.12 and striking every 12 balls. This outstanding performance earned him the Player of the Tournament award, and led his team to victory. It marked a turning point in his career, thrusting him into the national spotlight for selection.

Starc is quick and has great control of swing both ways. He has got a lethal inswing to the right-handers and a deceptive outswinger that can induce an edge off the best batsmen around. Starc's full force was unleashed in the 2015 ODI World Cup, where he troubled batsmen with his inswingers and trapped them leg before almost at will to be adjudged Player of the Tournament, with 22 wickets at an average of 10.18. His stupendous display of fast bowling played a pivotal role in Australia lifting the trophy. Four years later at the World Cup in England, he took 27 wickets before Australia crashed out in the semis.

His main challenge has been to transition his limited-overs performances to Test cricket. Initially, he faced inconsistency in Test selection and struggled to secure a permanent spot. However, in 2015, he enjoyed a successful run in Tests until an ankle injury halted his progress. One of his standout performances was in Galle, where he took a career-best match haul of 11 for 94, despite Australia losing that match. During the 2017-18 Ashes series, he claimed 22 wickets in four Tests. Starc reached a milestone of 200 Test wickets in his 50th Test match in February 2019, joining an elite group of Australian bowlers. During England's tour of Australia in 2021-22, Starc's performance earned him the Allan Border Medal. In addition to his bowling prowess, Starc is also known for his batting abilities. He came close to scoring a century in Mohali in 2013.

In 2024, Starc became the highest-priced player ever bought at an IPL auction, with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) securing his services for Rs 24.75 crore (INR). Before joining KKR in 2024, Starc had previously played in two IPL seasons for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), where he claimed 14 and 20 wickets respectively in the 2014 and 2015 editions.

Despite being highly sought-after in T20 cricket, Starc's IPL appearances were limited to just 27 matches across the first 15 editions. This was due to injuries, international duties and personal reasons that kept him away from the tournament at various times. Starc is married to Australian wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy.