In the IPL auction, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) paid INR 24.75 crore to capture Mitchell Starc, breaking even. Nevertheless, in KKR’s opening two IPL 2024 matches, the Australian bowler has failed to live up to their expectations. The 34-year-old received harsh criticism on social media after giving up 47 runs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and leaking 53 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Eden Gardens.
Irfan Pathan, a former cricket player, believes Starc will rally in the tournament’s final games. The 39-year-old thinks that the Australian speedster is taking his time acclimating to Indian conditions and that the middle-order hitters would struggle once he settles into a rhythm. The former left-arm seamer also noted that Starc is a very dangerous ball-swinger, but Pathan claims that the seamer hasn’t been able to achieve it this season.
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Mitchell Starc receives feedback from Steven Smith
Steven Smith, a fellow player for Australia, believes that Starc is hitting for lots of runs and isn’t swinging the ball against right-handers. The former captain of Australia went on to say that he believes Starc should alter his tendency to aim to wobble the ball in order to achieve better results and more success.
It’s a decent option, I believe, for him to try to wobble the ball across the right-handed batter today, but I believe he needs to swing it back down the line. He bowls fast, left-handed, and can reach speeds of over 145 kmph. Nothing compares to a ball flying back into a hitter who is right-handed. One of the hardest balls to face is this one. Therefore, I’d like to see it first and try to take advantage of that as a variant,” Smith remarked.
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