'Haven’t heard from KKR' - Mitchell Starc after release ahead of IPL mega auction

Veteran Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has revealed about the communication gap with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) management following his release from the squad ahead of the 2025 IPL season. The left-arm quick, who was part of KKR's title-winning team in 2024, expressed his disappointment at not being informed about the franchise's decision to let him go.

IPL's new retention guidelines allowed teams to retain up to six players before the mega-auction. KKR retained Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakravarthy. Subsequently, KKR released several key players, including Starc and their winning skipper Shreyas Iyer.

"I still haven’t heard from them. 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," Starc told the Daily Telegraph.

Also Read: WATCH: Shaheen Afridi-Mitchell Starc click selfie ahead of ODI series

Number of retentions do feel less: Venky Mysore

After ending his nine-year IPL gap, he was acquired for a record-breaking INR 24.75 crore in the December 2023 auction, making him the most expensive player in IPL history. The Australian speedster claimed 17 crucial wickets throughout the 2024 season, including match-winning performances in the playoffs and the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad, which secured KKR their third IPL trophy.

KKR CEO Venky Mysore had previously spoken about the tricky nature of the retention decisions, particularly given the team's successful campaign. 

"Obviously the number of retentions do feel less, because we first build a squad and try to put all pieces in place in order to compete. And when you compete, and particularly in our case, thankfully, we won our third championship, and after that, it becomes even more difficult, because you really want to keep the squad that you have carefully built, who are also the defending champions," Mysore said in a statement

With KKR having exhausted their retention options, they will be entering the upcoming auction with a purse of INR 51 crore and no RTMs.