Mitchell Starc has made himself available for the business end of the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) season, which runs from December 14 to January 25. He will play for the Sydney Sixers, who roped him as a supplementary player, as they did in the previous two editions.
He will play for the franchise after the conclusion of Ashes 2025 on January 8, subject to fitness. Unlike before, his chances of featuring in the league are higher since he has retired from T20Is and will have a window after the Test season ends.
“I can’t wait to pull on the Sixers’ fresh magenta playing shirt in BBL|15. Over the past decade, I’ve stayed close to the club and, all things going to plan, am excited to get back on the field this summer,” Starc said in a statement.
His latest BBL outing came in 2014, and he has picked up 20 wickets at an average of 14.85 in 10 outings, including a best of 3/17. He was part of the squad when the Sydney Sixers won the inaugural season in 2011/12 and later won the 2012 Champions League, where he was also the leading wicket-taker, with 14 scalps at 12.36 runs apiece in six matches.
Delhi Capitals (DC) bought Mitchell Starc for INR 11.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, and he blew hot and cold in the 10 matches he played. The left-arm pacer grabbed 14 wickets at an average of 26.14 and a strike rate of 15.42, but conceded 10.16 runs per over.
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However, once IPL was suspended midway due to India-Pakistan tensions, he flew back to Australia and didn’t return once the tournament restarted to prepare for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final. That played a massive role in Delhi Capitals’ poor performances in the second half of the season, as they won only one out of the last five completed games and crashed out before the playoffs despite a terrific start.
Now that Starc has retired from T20Is, DC and other franchises will be unsure of his commitment to this format, especially since he has clarified his intentions to prioritise ODIs and Tests for Australia. Even when he returned to IPL last year, his incentive was to prepare for the T20 World Cup 2024, slated soon after the tournament.
That’s where the BBL assignment confirms his intent to T20s despite T20I retirement because he has made himself available for a tournament he hasn’t played for more than a decade. This could also signal Starc’s intent to play more franchise cricket now that T20Is are no longer in his way – a move that surely boosts his prospects ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
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