NEWS
Follow UsMitchell Starc bounced back well, especially in the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season and eventually finished with 17 wickets from 14 matches, including a Player of the Match performance in the final with figures of 2/14 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to help Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title.
Starc, the most expensive player in IPL history, was bought for INR 24.75 crore at the auction. As a result, he was heavily criticised at the start of the season for a few poor performances. However, he bowled a few crucial spells that eventually took his team to the title.
After playing his first IPL season in nine years, the Australian speedster says he is looking forward to playing in the tournament next year and hopes it is for KKR once again.
"The last nine years I have prioritised Australian Cricket. April and May have been my time off to give my body a break and spend some time away from cricket with my wife as well. That's certainly where my head has been for the last nine years. Moving forward...I'm certainly at the end of my career than the start. One format may drop off. There's a lot of time before the next one-day World Cup, and whether that format continues for me or not, it may open doors for more franchise cricket," Starc said at the post-match press conference.
"I've thoroughly enjoyed this season. It's been great, it leads into a World Cup. That's the other side of benefit of bring here and against some amazing players, in an amazing tournament, It's been a great lead-up to the World Cup. The success has been fantastic, but it has left it in a good position heading into a World Cup. Next year, I don't know the schedule exactly, as like I said, I look forward to being back next year and hopefully, it's in purple and gold again."
Starc has completely left it up to the KKR management to take a call on whether they want to retain his services for the next season or not.
"It's not up to me, it is up to the staff if they want to retain me. I'd love to, it's been a lot of fun. I also don't select my own price tag, so it was a pleasant surprise, but it comes with its own expectations or pressure or whatever you want to say. It's been a lot of fun. Price tag and all those things aside, it's been a very enjoyable nine weeks with the KKR family," he said.
"I'd love to be back if they want me back, but I am just grateful for the opportunity. It's been great to see the success of the club and success of a lot of the players. It has been a consistent team. Everyone has contributed throughout the season - players and the staff - and everyone around the group. It has been a very enjoyable nine weeks."
KKR got off to a superb start, with Starc cleaning up Abhishek Sharma in the first over. It was a peach of a delivery, which shaped away from the batter to hit the top of off. It is certainly one of the contenders of the ball of the tournament. Starc, however, has played it down.
"Nothing much, run in and try to hit the stumps, try to swing it. That's what I have tried to do for the last 14 years, doesn't happen often. I have been lucky enough that it has happened in the last two games with Trav [Travis Head] as well," Starc said.
"That's the experience I am supposed to be bringing into the group is to start us off in a good way, powerplay wickets and we've seen how important they are through the tournament. We were fantastic in the powerplay again today as we were in the first Qualifier against them in taking powerplay wickets.
"It's always nice to bowl a ball like that, but there was nothing special about the planning...just run in, bowl fast and try to swing it and see if I can hit the top of the stumps. It's nice when it comes off."
Starc also praised skipper Shreyas Iyer and mentor Gautam Gambhir for their roles in KKR's successful campaign.
"Shreyas has been fantastic. Another one who I had not spent a lot of time around until this year. Crossed paths in international cricket, but to see him go about his captaincy and his cricket has been fantastic. He is pretty level-headed, pretty calm in most of the situations we've had or throughout when it's not gone our way. He may need to work on his tossing of the coin in the off-season. Apart from that, it has been fantastic to be a part of the group with him leading," Starc said.
"There's been moments through the year where he has seen the game in a certain way and gone with his gut instincts and it has paid off. Whether it's been bowling changes or field placements, he's happy to chat to different people. So, he's been fantastic and thoroughly deserves his success."
Speaking of Gambhir, Starc said, "GG has been fantastic tactically. He obviously wants the franchise to do really well. He's spen a lot of time here in the past. He just loves the group doing well. Whether it's his tactical eye or what he sees in training, his discussions have been great.
"He's been in all meetings and he just gives his insights to what he thinks of certain fields or how certain players in the opposition go about it. He has certainly been good working with the group with Shreyas as captain and thoroughly deserves his success here."
Starc will now turn his attention to the T20 World Cup, which gets underway in the US and West Indies, from June 1. Australia get their campaign underway againsy Oman on June 5 at the Kensington Oval, Barbados.
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