IPL Auction 2025: Mitchell Starc's allegations against KKR suspected to be true as CEO blocks contact

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO Venky Mysore has refused to say a single word on the allegations by Mitchell Starc ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. The pacer had said that no one from the franchise contacted him after he was released from the squad.

All the IPL franchises have finalized their list of retained and released players. Kolkata Knight Riders were amongst the franchises who used all 6 retentions and will be heading into the IPL 2025 auction without any Right to Match (RTM) cards.

Kolkata Knight Riders didn't retain Mitchell Starc ahead of the IPL 2025 auction

The winners of the IPL 2024 retained Rinku Singh, who was their top retention at INR 13 crore and also spent INR 12 crore each for Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Varun Chakaravarthy. They also re-signed two uncapped players, Ramandeep Singh and Harshit Rana, for INR 4 crore each.

What caught the attention of many was Kolkata Knight Riders didn't pick Starc, who last year became the most expensive in the IPL auction. The left-arm pacer was acquired by the franchise for INR 24.75 crore, and he also made a decent impact as well.

Starc initially struggled to get going in the IPL 2024. He didn't look in rhythm and also leaked a lot of runs. But as the tournament progressed, the Australia National Cricket Team fast bowler reflected his best with the ball and helped the team win.

Mitchell Starc brought his best in the playoffs as he troubled the opposition big time. The Australia National Cricket Team pacer picked 17 wickets in the last season for the defending champions, including a match-winning performance of 2/14, which saw the team win the third title. The franchise was at its dominating best in the league as they won most of their games including the final.

I still haven’t heard from them. It is what it is; that’s franchise cricket - Mitchell Starc

However, he was released from the squad despite making a massive impact. The pacer, however, revealed that before getting released, no one from the franchise contacted him, but he admitted that franchise cricket goes this way only. Speaking to the Telegraph, he explained:

“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.”

KKR CEO Venky Mysore didn't respond to the media following Mitchell Starc's massive statement

After Mitchell Starc made the statement about Kolkata Knight Riders not approaching him, Times of India tried to reach out to KKR CEO Venky Mysore to confirm the remark. However, the top official at the franchise didn't respond to the text and also blocked the contact on WhatsApp.

With the kind of impact Mitchell Starc has made in international cricket along with the IPL last year, it won't be a surprise if he fetches another massive amount in the upcoming auction.

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