The Kolkata Knight Riders paid a record Rs 24.75 for Mitchell Starc at the IPL 2024 auction. The decision seemed fine before the mega-auction in 2024. The left-arm pacer also had a decade-long proven record behind him and had great returns in the IPL before as well.
Injury does what Mitchell Starc hasn’t: Strike
Cut to April 26; he has picked up 6 wickets in 7 matches at 47.83, is going at 11.48 runs an over, and takes a wicket on every 25th ball he delivers. KKR is basically paying Starc a whopping Rs 4 crore for every wicket. Not the returns they or the fast bowler himself expected.
So, it isn’t exactly a shock that Starc isn’t playing against the Punjab Kings on April 26. But is he injured like Shreyas Iyer after losing the toss, or has he been dropped? “Starcy got a cut on his finger in the last game,” Iyer said at the toss, despite his teammate Ramandeep Singh confirming that Mitchell Starc was fit and available for selection before the match.
IPL 2024
Different tunes
Before the toss, Mitchell Starc had talked about his return to the IPL after a decade, helping other bowlers in the team, and the different complexities of bowling in India, but he didn’t mention anything about an injury. Before the KKR vs PBKS match, he said:
“Coming back, obviously to a different team. Getting to know about the youngsters in this KKR set-up, I have played against a few, but I’ve seen a lot of talent in this franchise. Sharing my thoughts and answering their questions, it’s been enjoyable. We know that the grounds in India are smaller when compared to back at home (in Australia), the wickets are generally pretty good throughout the game, and the impact player rule as well. The batters are coming in with an intention to throw their bats around. You can see that impact in the Sunrisers, with Heady at the top, just going out and trying to clear the infield. It’s been a challenge to come here and play in the best T20 league in the world. The wickets have played differently in the day games and the night games; it does become easier to bat under the lights, but it has been a learning curve. Playing in the heat is part of the game; fortunately, it’s only 20 overs in the field, and you can deal with it. Things have been going well so far; different individuals have stood up, and the next two home games are very important for us before we travel. So the two points today could be very important in that regard.”
