The Australia pacer, with his magical figures of 2/14 in three overs in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad helped the Kolkata Knight Riders to clinch their third title of the tournament.
One of the most spoken aspects of the final was the outstanding delivery from ‘Mitchell Starc’, who with an absolute jaffa broke the stumps of SRH opener Abhishek Sharma. The ball pitched on the middle of the leg-stump, before knocking the middle of the off-stump with a hint of swing to send the left-hand opener back in the hut.
Earlier, former Australia opener Matthew Hayden hails that delivery from Starc as the ‘Ball of the IPL 2024’.
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‘We were taught that no delivery is unplayable but…’ – Gautam Gambhir on Mitchell Starc’s magical ball
After the end of the IPL 2024 season, the KKR mentor, Gautam Gambhir has spoken out about the fairytale journey of the last two months, and how they have managed to remain so successful throughout the competition.
When the management picked up Mitchell Starc in the IPL 2024 auction for a whopping price of INR 24.75 crore, many thought that it would prove to be the worst decision and the Knight Riders might need to suffer for their biding.
But Gambhir said that the franchise had no doubts over the skill and ability of the veteran Australia pacer, and how he could change the flow of the game in a single delivery as he did.
‘We always knew he (Mitchell Starc) was the X-Factor and he will become one at the right time. I mean, what other big matches could be there in the IPL. It was the Qualifier 1 and the Final. That is why I say that the big players wait for such occasions, they thrive on these occasions. Money is irrelevant. What Starc brings to the team was more important,” KKR Mentor Gautam Gambhir expressed during a chat with Sportskeeda.
Mitchell Starc finished the IPL 2024 season with 17 wickets at an economy of 10.61 in 13 innings, with a best bowling figure of 4/33 against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. In both the final and the qualifier 1 against the Hyderabad team., Starc was adjusted the ‘Player of the Match’.
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‘You expect a bowler of this quality to bowl this kind of a delivery. When you bring these kinds of players, they step up when you need them the most. KKR needed Mitchell Starc in the Qualifier 1 and the Final, and he put his hand up and he delivered,” Former Knight Riders captain remarked.
The left-handed batter also shared his view on that magical delivery.
‘I don’t know whether I should say that was an unplayable delivery or not, because we were taught that no delivery is unplayable, but it was certainly very close to unplayable,” Gambhir concluded.
Going into the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States of America, Australia will hope that Starc keeps the same rhythm going in the national colours, as they look to get their second title of the tournament, after winning it for the first time in 2021.