The ‘Player-of-the-match’ from the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Mitchell Starc was going through a tough period, at the start of the tournament. However, the Australian pacer showed great determination to make a great comeback in the latter half of the competition.
Mitchell Starc made a huge difference in the bowling during the first qualifier and final in the 17th season of the 20-over league, both against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The veteran returned with figures of 3/34 and 2/14 in those two games respectively.
The Australia pacer came into the tournament with high expectations, having made his first appearance in IPL since 2015, as he became the most expensive player of the competition history with a price of INR 24.75 crores.
‘Everything has been better since…’ – Mitchell Starc
Starc began the league under tremendous pressure, as he went for 100 runs in his first two league games without a single wicket, against the Sunrisers and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). For some injury scare, he was even dropped from the team, as the concerns were growing on whether the KKR management had taken the right decision with his inclusion.
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Mitchell Starc, however, has given credit to his family, especially his wife Alyssa Healy for backing him with confidence during the tough times. The captain of the Australia Women’s team, Healy was first spotted during Kolkata’s game against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium.
The pacer ended up with figures of 4/33 in his four overs, to help the ‘Purple and Gold’ franchise earn a 24-run win over the hosts. He looked in sharp rhythm during the game, as the batters had hardly any answer to Starc’s firing yorkers.
Mitchell Starc showed how special he could be in the playoff game. When it came to the knockout stage, the best in the business showed his calibre.
During the first qualifier at the Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad, the quick broke the stumps of Travis Head on the second ball of the evening to put so much pressure on the Hyderabad side. On the penultimate ball of his third over, Starc sent back Nitish Reddy (9), who looking to pull the pacer got a top edge, that died in the hands of the wicket-keeper batter.
On the very next delivery, he broke the stumps of Shahbaz Ahmed, who got uncomfortable with the bounce of the ball.
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Even during the final of the IPL 2024, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Mitchell Starc bowled an absolute peach of a delivery to knock the stumps of Abhishek Sharma (2). He also got the wicket of Rahul Tripathi, to return with figures of 2/14 in his three overs.
“Everything has been better since Alyssa (Healy) has turned up,” Mitchell Starc told the Star Sports.
The Australia pacer end the IPL 2024, with 17 wickets in 14 games, at an economy of 10.61, with one four-wicket haul, to help the Kolkata Knight Riders to earn their third IPL title.