Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) big-money purchase Mitchell Starc has had two forgettable games in the 2024 edition of the IPL. Returning to the IPL extravaganza after a gap of nine years, Starc is taking just a bit more time to get up to speed as the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batters have feasted on him in the first couple of games taking him for 100 runs cumulative. Since KKR have won both their games so far, his place is not in danger just yet but the Men in Purple will expect the tall left-armer to fire soon.
On Friday too against RCB, Starc's pace length deliveries were dispatched by the batters to all parts of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Starc was taken for 47 runs in his four overs but the good work done by other bowlers helped KKR restrict RCB to 182, which was chased down in a jiffy by the Men in Purple.
While KKR will continue to back him, Iceland Cricket took the opportunity to poke fun at the senior pacer saying Starc has been more expensive than a beer in the country. A beer point in Iceland costs around INR 800-1000, which is a lot and now the post makes sense given KKR splurged INR 24.75 crore to acquire his services.
Speaking on Star Sports, former England pacer Stuart Broad said that since KKR are winning, there won't be much pressure on Starc and the team can afford to play him for a few more games. However, he admitted that Starc will be feeling the pressure of the price tag but believed that he has the quality to bounce back.
"If he had bowled 0 for 100 and lost two in two, his stock probably comes under a few question marks, but I think the fact that they've gone and won the game buys him some time and because they spent so much money on him they're going to give him 5-6 games to find some form and find some rhythm. Because there's no doubt that when he gets it right he's lethal with the ball, but he's probably lacking some match awareness in the IPL.
"He will be feeling a bit of pressure because when you’ve got that price tag you want to come and take some wickets to show your team mates that you're up for the challenge," Broad said.
