The investment of $4.43m by Kolkata Knight Riders in Mitchell Starc has not yet paid off, as the left-arm pacer delivered another expensive wicketless spell in the IPL. However, with KKR winning two out of two matches, there is still time for the Australian to find his rhythm.
Starc’s four overs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru cost 47 runs, bringing his total to 100 runs conceded in eight overs without a wicket.
Despite Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 83 for RCB, the visitors successfully chased down the target with 3.1 overs and seven wickets to spare, marking their first away win in the IPL so far.
On a pitch that favored batsmen, RCB scored 182 runs with support from Australians Cameron Green (33 off 21 balls) and Glenn Maxwell (28 off 19 balls).
Kolkata’s opening batters Sunil Narine, playing his 500th Twenty20 match, and Phil Salt had a strong start with 85 runs in the power play. Narine scored 47 off 22 balls with five sixes and two fours, while Salt made 30 off 20 balls. Green bowled one over for seven runs, and Maxwell did not bowl.
Starc faced his former team, RCB, where he had taken 34 wickets in total during his previous stints in 2014 and 2015. Despite being the most expensive player in the IPL this year, his performances have been underwhelming.
In the match, Starc struggled, going for 21 runs in his second over. Although he returned for a tighter 17th over, he conceded 16 runs in the final over to Kohli and Dinesh Karthik.
Despite the struggles, Starc managed to find the edge three times, indicating that wickets may come his way soon. With KKR being one of the three unbeaten teams in the league, the pressure on him is not overwhelming yet.
with AP
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