Despite a series of setbacks, including a bizarre leg injury that cut short his IPL 2024 season and dashed his World Cup dreams, Australian pacer Jason Behrendorff remains resolute and focused on making a comeback. The 34-year-old left-arm quick has faced a tumultuous year. In March, just days before he was set to fly to India for the IPL, a freak accident at the WACA nets left him with a fractured fibula. The timing couldn't have been worse, as Behrendorff was in peak form and seen as a strong candidate for Australia’s T20 World Cup squad.

"I've played two formats for Australia, I've played professionally for the best part of 15 years. Everyone's view of success is different,"Behrendorff told cricket.com.au.

The injury not only ruled him out of the IPL, where he had secured a lucrative contract with the Mumbai Indians, but also crushed his aspirations of representing Australia in the upcoming World Cup.

"It was probably the most angry and the most frustrated I've been after an injury, because it was so freakish. "It literally hit me flush and snapped my fibula," Behrendorff said, reflecting on the incident.

In typical Behrendorff fashion, the pacer took charge of his own destiny. Rather than dwell on the setbacks, he made the bold decision to opt out of the final year of his state contract with Western Australia. Informing high-performance chief Kade Harvey and coach Adam Voges, Behrendorff chose to pursue freelance opportunities in global T20 leagues. In a swift transition, he went from representing Australia, Western Australia, and the Mumbai Indians to becoming an uncontracted freelancer, ready to explore new horizons in his career.

"So that was a great chance to play well, put yourself in with a chance, and for me it was a case of, 'Well, I've got nothing to lose. I know I'm not one of the top three to be included in the squad. There was myself and realistically you're looking at Nathan Ellis, Sean Abbott, Spencer Johnson – it was probably the four of us competing for the one or potentially two spots left. "I was hopeful that I was going to get a chance and playing well in the IPL was a definitely a ticket to do that."

Behrendorff's comeback to cricket has been nothing short of remarkable. His first stint was in Sri Lanka’s Lanka Premier League, where he helped Jaffna Kings secure the championship. Only days later, he played a pivotal role in the Toronto Nationals' victory at the Global T20 Canada, earning player-of-the-match honors in the final.