What was the cost of each Mitchell Starc wicket in IPL 2024?
Mitchell Starc attracted the highest-ever bid price of ₹24.75 crore from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction. It needed a genuine effort from the veteran pacer to justify his expensive price tag.
Starc certainly did that, picking up a total of 17 wickets in 14 appearances, with an average of 26.12. So, the cost of each of his wickets comes to around ₹1.45 crore. However, the left-arm pacer had to turn the tables to prove his worth to the cricket fraternity and fans after underwhelming returns in the league games.
In the first game of the season, Starc finished with figures of 0/53 and followed it up with 0/47. It looked like Starc was a liability for the Knight Riders due to his high economy and lack of wickets.
However, the 34-year-old took 2/25 against the Delhi Capitals, which helped to infuse confidence in his abilities. The game against the Lucknow Super Giants saw Starc record figures of 3/28, while he finished with four scalps against the Mumbai Indians.
In an all-important Qualifier 1 against the SunRisers Hyderabad, Mitchell Starc bowled a ripper to breach the defense of Travis Head (0). He went to finish with figures of 3/34 to take KKR to the final.
In the summit clash, Starc bowled an unplayable delivery to the SunRisers' Abhishek Sharma (2) and castled his stumps.
Starc finished with figures of 2/14 off three overs and was named as Player of the Match in the final. The Knight Riders lifted their third IPL trophy after chasing down the score of 114 with 57 balls to spare.
Mitchell Starc opines on his IPL 2024 performances
Upon receiving the Player of the Match award, the left-arm pacer opened up about his price tag and felt that the experience of performing in crunch games helped him manage expectations.
Here's what Mitchell Starc said:
"There's been jokes about the money. 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."
Moreover, Mitchell Starc credited the support staff and players for KKR being crowned the IPL 2024 champions:
"We've got a fantastic squad of players and staff. It's been a lot of fun. Exciting bowling attack. We've got guys that have been in KKR for a long time. Full credit to the whole squad of players and staff."