"Plenty of jokes and what not made about the money" - Mitchell Starc on his price tag after match-winning performance in IPL 2024 final
Australian and Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) pace spearhead Mitchell Starc talked about the jokes made around the amount shelled on him by the franchise in IPL 2024 after his match-winning performance in the tournament's final. The veteran fast bowler cited his experience behind managing the massive expectations on the field.
The 34-year-old had a forgettable first few matches of the season as wickets were hard to come by and he conceded runs at an alarming rate. With KKR having shelled out out ₹24.75 crore, he was trolled for not delivering performances as per expectations. Nevertheless, Starc delivered match-winning performances in both knockout matches to propel the Knight Riders to their third IPL title.
After securing the Player of the Match award in the final, Starc reflected on how experience has made him a wiser and better bowler. He said at the post-match presentation:
"Yeah, there's been plenty of jokes and what not made about the money. But it's been a long time since I have played the IPL. I am older and an experienced player now, that's helped with managing all the expectations. I am certainly glad I am a bit more experienced and older to deal with all of that."
The left-arm pacer castled Travis Head with a peach in Qualifier 1 and recorded figures of 4-0-34-3. He produced another unplayable delivery in the final to dismiss Abhishek Sharma on the way to recording figures of 3-0-14-2.
"Not really sure what the wicket was going to do" - Mitchell Starc
The New South Wales speedster also credited Shreyas Iyer for rotating his bowlers well and keeping apt fields, adding:
"Probably the two most exciting teams in the final, it was a great night. We lost the toss and got to use the ball first. Having watched the game a few nights ago here, not really sure what the wicket was going to do. We spoke about adapting to the conditions. Shreyas was fantastic with the way he used his bowlers and his fields, has been all season, so credit to him there."
Every KKR bowler went on to take at least one wicket as the Sunrisers Hyderabad were skittled out for 113 on a tricky surface. Venkatesh Iyer's unbeaten 52 helped the Knight Riders chase down the target with eight wickets to spare in less than 11 overs.