Mitchell Starc finally got on the wicket board in IPL 2024, dismissing his Australian teammate Mitchell Marsh for a two-ball duck in the second over.
The Australian paceman, who entered the tournament with a hefty Rs 24.75 crore price tag, had endured a rough start, conceding runs freely in his first two outings. However, against Delhi in Visakhapatnam, Starc looked like his old self, swinging the ball prodigiously and causing problems for the opposition batsmen.
Starc's breakthrough came in his second over when he dismissed his fellow countryman Mitchell Marsh for a duck. A full delivery sent Marsh straight to the point fielder, leaving Delhi reeling at 33-2.
The left-arm quick wasn't done yet. In his third over, Starc removed the dangerous David Warner for 18 (11 balls), further denting Delhi's chase of a mammoth 273-run target set by Kolkata Knight Riders.
Starc's early burst, coupled with Vaibhav Arora's wicket in the powerplay, reduced Delhi to 51-4. Kolkata's decision to give Starc an extra over in the powerplay proved to be a masterstroke.
This performance vindicates Kolkata's bowling coach Bharat Arun, who had expressed confidence in Starc's ability to bounce back after his initial struggles. "He's a very experienced bowler who adapts well," Arun had said on the eve of the match.
Earlier, a blazing knock of 85 off 39 balls by Sunil Narine and a fiery 54 off 27 balls by 18-year-old Angrish Raghuvanshi propelled Kolkata to a staggering 272, the second-highest total in IPL history.
