Starc raked in the highest amount (24.75 crores) ever for an IPL auction. He faced criticism from experts and social media for his poor performance in the first few games.
Mitchell Starc, the outstanding bowler for the Kolkata Knight Riders, throws the fifth ball of the match, pitching it on the middle stump and hitting Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Abhishek Sharma on the top. The way the ball swung appeared to have stunned the opener. Wasim Akram, a former Pakistani cricket player, would describe the delivery as "unplayable."
In regards to the delivery, KKR coach Gautam Gambhir would comment as follows. “We were taught there are no unplayable deliveries but it was very close to unplayable the way it swung and hit the top of the off-stump. That delivery had everything a fast bowling coach tells his bowlers,” he said speaking on Sportkeeda.
Before the playoffs, Starc had a lacklustre tournament; nonetheless, the Australian was instrumental in both Qualifier 1 and Final, assisting KKR in winning their third championship. “You expect a bowler of this quality to bowl this kind of delivery. What could be a bigger occasion than the IPL final and the first over of it? When you bring in players like him, they will perform for you when you need the most.” Gambhir would say.
Starc was bought in for the highest amount (24.75 crores) in the history of the IPL auction. But he had a rough start to the first few games, drawing criticism from social media users as well as experts. “You should not feel bad about it either experts will judge you on your performance it is their profession. Social media will judge you on everything,” Gambhir said.
“I believe how you are made to feel in a dressing room is the most important thing. We never had any doubt that Mitchell Starc could not become an X-factor for us. We believe he will become an X-factor at the right time. His price is irrelevant to us. It is about what Starc adds to us as a player to the team,” he added.