Mitchell Starc finally justifies heavy price tag by roaring back to form in KKR's thumping victory over LSG

“I feel that Mitchell Starc has done reasonably okay. I think he’s bowled some tough overs. And he will create an impact, what he’s been picked for.”

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Gautam Gambhir threw his weight behind under-fire Mitchell Starc on the eve of their IPL 2024 clash against Lucknow Super Giants at home.

The Australian pacer had come under criticism for collecting just two wickets in the first four matches of the season at an average of 77 and an economy of 11. The numbers are as poor as it can get, especially for an individual who is counted amongst the best pacers in the modern era and also brings with him the experience of having played the sport at the highest level for more than a decade.

As poor as the numbers are, however, there were other factors that intensified the criticism directed at Starc. Not only is he returning to the league after nine long years, he had also been acquired by the Knight Riders for a whopping sum of Rs 24.75 crore, which made him the most expensive player in IPL history.

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To get smashed for 53 runs in four overs in his maiden appearance for the two-time champions and barely make an impact in the next three outings would have not only angered KKR’s loyal fan army, it would have also forced the team leadership to take a stern approach with an individual who arguably is the biggest name in their roster.

KKR, however, continued to back their lead pacer, as evidenced by Gambhir’s words on Saturday. And in the hour of crisis, it is the support received from the captain, head coach, mentor and others in the leadership group that more often than not brings the best out of a player. And in Starc’s case, help get him back in form.

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Starc roars back in style

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the 34-year-old though after KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to field. Starc was tasked with bowling the first over, and facing him at the start of the LSG innings was Quinton de Kock, the two having last crossed paths in the nail-biting ICC World Cup semi-final between Australia and South Africa at this very venue last November, incidentally at the very beginning of the match.

De Kock had barely scored any runs off either Starc or Josh Hazlewood back then before getting dismissed for 3 off 14 deliveries. On Sunday, however, he dispatched Starc for consecutive boundaries at the start of the Lucknow innings, perhaps hoping to give it back to the Aussie left-arm quick.

The South African wicketkeeper-batter started off with a push down the ground with precise timing followed by a streaky boundary off a thick outside edge that sent the ball flying behind square. Shortly after de Kock’s dismissal off Vaibhav Arora’s bowling, LSG skipper KL Rahul would ruin what was turning out to be a tidy second over from the left-arm pacer as he pulled a short delivery behind square. Starc had gone for 18 in his first two overs, and would concede a second boundary to Rahul in his third after the stylish right-handed batter lofted an length ball over extra cover.

At this point, the senior pro might have been getting flashbacks of being hammered all over the park this season. That’s when the dismissal of Deepak Hooda in his third over on the bounce, thanks to an athletic grab by Ramandeep Singh at backward point, turned things around both for him as well as for the Knight Riders.

Watch | Ramandeep Singh and Phil Salt take blinders during KKR vs LSG clash in Kolkata

Starc had one over left in his kitty and Shreyas decided to save it for the very end of the Lucknow innings. His most crucial contribution would come after he was tasked with bowling the final over of the LSG innings, getting rid of a well-set Nicholas Pooran at the start of the over.

The West Indian decided to stretch his arms at a wide length delivery, and could only get an outside edge that resulted in an easy grab for wicketkeeper Phil Salt. Pooran was batting on 45 off 31 deliveries at the start of the over LSG’s score reading 155 for the loss of five wickets, and he could have got the visitors close to, or even past, the 180-mark given his destructive ways in the slog overs. His dismissal would, instead, cost Lucknow 15-20 runs — a margin that can often prove decisive in the T20 format.

Starc, however, wasn’t done just yet after getting rid of Pooran, as he would make a mess of the stumps in the final ball to dismiss Arshad Khan for five, and sign off with excellent figures of 3/28, conceding just six runs while collecting two wickets in the final over of the innings.

“Always nice to contribute and make an impact. We were good throughout the innings.

“Not the biggest ground in the world but we were pretty good with the ball. (On pulling his lengths back) Part of my role is to swing the ball. On this wicket, you quickly learn that is not the way to go. We pulled it (the lengths) back a little bit and let the wicket do what it did,” Starc said in a chat with the broadcasters at the conclusion of the Lucknow innings.

It wasn’t just Starc who was responsible for Kolkata restricting Lucknow to a sub-par total of 161/7, as veteran off-spinner Sunil Narine helped build pressure in the middle overs of the innings by conceding just 17 runs from four overs even if he didn’t collect a wicket on the day. What made the Trinidadian’s contribution even more special was the fact that he did not concede a single boundary across his four overs, which in the T20 format might be described as the bowler’s equivalent of a 40-ball century.

And further highlighting the fact that Lucknow were well short of a par score was opener Salt, who not only pulled off a one-handed blinder earlier in the day but also smashed an unbeaten 89 to help the Knight Riders chase the target down with eight wickets and more than four overs to spare. The Englishman tore the LSG attack to pieces as he brought up his second half-century of the season in just 26 deliveries, and would later have the honour of smashing the match-winning boundary off Ravi Bishnoi’s bowling.

Photos | Starc, Salt help KKR hammer LSG by eight wickets, collect fourth win of IPL 2024

KKR thus not only defeated LSG for the first time in their fifth meeting, having suffered narrow defeats in each of their last two outings, they also narrowed the gap with current leaders Rajasthan Royals by collecting their fourth win of the season in five outings. The way they’re delivering results this season since Gambhir’s return to the franchise, this time in the capacity of a mentor, certainly bodes well for the team and makes them early front runners for the playoff spots.

Their million-dollar boy finally discovering his touch after struggling in the initial games however, might just be their biggest positive from the thumping victory at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.