"It makes players push out a little bit harder" - Ricky Ponting explains Mitchell Starc's slow start to IPL 2024 for KKR
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting feels that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Mitchell Starc was trying a bit too hard in the initial stages of the IPL 2024 season because of the latter's massive price tag. KKR bought Starc in the IPL 2024 auction for a whopping INR 24.75 crore.
Ponting believes the massive payday made Starc a bit more cautious about wanting to deliver his best and in that, the left-arm pacer found a bit of time to adjust to the league that he was returning to after a period of nine years.
Speaking to ICC, Ricky Ponting explained how Eden Gardens being a batters' paradise also went against Mitchell Starc. He said:
"The expectation that comes with the price tag sometimes it makes players push out a little bit harder and try to do more than they need to do. You know, conditions where Mitch is bowling at Eden Gardens, the ball didn't really swing much there this year, and the ground is like, like it's a small ground, and the outfield's like concrete."
Ponting opined that with the T20 World Cup to be played in the Caribbean where the ball may not come onto the bat as well as it did at the Eden Gardens, Starc may have a bigger impact.
Mitchell Starc reflects on his thrilling return to IPL 2024
Despite a slow start to the tournament, Mitchell Starc peaked at the right time for the Knight Riders with Player of the Match performances in both the Qualifier 1 (3/34) and the Final (2/14), proving his big-match pedigree once again.
Speaking to the reporters in a press conference after KKR beat the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final, Starc opened up on his future in international as well as franchise cricket. He said:
"I've thoroughly enjoyed this season It's been great, it leads into the World Cup, that's the other side of the benefit of being here against some amazing players in an amazing tournament. It's a great lead-up to a World Cup. Next year - I don't know the schedule exactly - but I've enjoyed it, I look forward to being back next year and hopefully be seen in purple and gold [KKR's colors] again."
Starc also hinted that he may have to let go of one of the formats in international cricket, given he is approaching his late thirties. That format could well be ODIs, with the next 50-over World Cup slated to take place in 2027.