Mitchell Starc Silences Critics with Stellar IPL Performance for KKR

Since being confirmed by Kolkata Knight Riders for an unprecedented Rs 24.75 crore at the IPL auction, Mitchell Starc has been the subject of several jokes.

However, Test captain Pat Cummins says the left-arm fast bowler "turned it on" at the appropriate moment, dispelling speculation that he lacked the skills necessary to be successful in this format. The 34-year-old developed the habit of plucking wickets with the new ball once his rhythm returned.

Abhishek Sharma was dismissed by Starc, setting the stage for KKR to make a memorable final-day delivery. To remove Sharma off stump, the ball pitched in the middle, leg, and jagged back a little bit.

Travis Head, who chose on Sunday to forego taking the initial strike, should count himself fortunate to have avoided such "trauma."

Starc is not the one who relies on or has perfected the art of slower deliveries in this format; instead, he uses it sparingly, like to an off-cutter at the conclusion. In Ahmedabad's Qualifier 1, Head found that it might be a dipping beauty.

Starc grabbed 17 wickets in 14 IPL games, five of them came in the playoffs. In Qualifier 1, he took 3/34 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Jokes have been told a lot. About his price tag and overcoming early tournament defeats, Starc remarked, "A lot of talk has been made about the money.

"My increased age and expertise have been beneficial in controlling expectations and spearheading the assault. We have a very interesting bowling attack. I have to give the players and support staff full credit for making my life very easy, but it has also been a lot of pleasure to learn from and watch how these guys go about it.

"I know how to handle myself in cricket since I've played a lot of the game. Since I haven't played much T20 cricket in the past few years, I was attempting to keep ahead of batsmen and find the rhythm of the T20 game.

Maintaining composure was crucial during the staged record totals every other day. "It's simple for someone like myself who's been around for a long time and been through the ups and downs to say it's a mindset thing when you look at some of the (bowling) figures," he remarked.

Not all days are created equal. It's never true that you're as horrible or as good as people claim you to be. Steadying is, in my opinion, a good component of it. T20 is an excellent leveler. You may experience some wonderful days, followed by a startling day two days later.

"So, bowlers have undoubtedly had more difficulty in this event... For a considerable amount of time, Jasprit (Bumrah) has been among the greatest in the world, and he has demonstrated that he can both take wickets and avoid going for runs.

When the IPL resumes in a year, will he be back? "I've enjoyed it and hope to return next year; however, I'm not sure exactly when it will happen. I hope it returns to purple and gold.

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