Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowling coach, Bharat Arun, stood by Mitchell Starc despite his underwhelming bowling displays in IPL 2024. Arun expressed confidence that Starc will soon rediscover his peak form during the ongoing tournament.
The Kolkata Knight Riders started their IPL 2024 campaign with wins against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Despite the team’s success, Mitchell Starc, the team’s most expensive player at Rs 24.75 crore, has yet to justify his high price tag. Starc, a veteran Australian pacer, made a return to the tournament after nine years, with expectations to lead KKR’s inexperienced pace bowling attack.
Gautam Gambhir To Have ‘Price Tag’ Talk With Mitchell Starc? KKR Coach Bharat Arun Shared Details
In his debut match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Kolkata, the 34-year-old gave away 53 runs in four overs. His challenges persisted in the second match, where he conceded 47 runs without taking any wickets. So far, Starc has remained wicketless in the first two games, with figures of 8-0-100-0. Arun said:
“He is probably one of the most experienced bowlers in the world and also somebody who understands the conditions and adapts to it very well. I think you will a see a different version of him in the future games,”
When asked about discussions with Mitchell Starc, Arun humorously quipped, “Nothing about the price tag, definitely.” He underscored ongoing dialogues regarding Starc’s strengths and expressed optimism about Starc bouncing back to form soon. He said:
“We have been talking about his strengths. I’m sure he understands what it is and what it takes to succeed. The kind of experience he brings with him having played in all the conditions, it is just a matter of time before you see Starc return in his elements,”
When talking about the conditions in Visakhapatnam, Bharat Arun highlighted the team’s preparedness to tackle any situation. He pointed out the presence of both spinners and pacers in the squad, which allows them to adapt to different conditions effectively.
“The biggest challenge for us would be to understand and adapt to conditions. We are up for anything. It is the same surface for both the teams. The pitch keeps changing like the weather. We have good options. We have extra spinners and quality pacers in the middle. Depending on the conditions tomorrow, we will select the team,” Arun concluded.
The team led by Shreyas Iyer is set to take on the Delhi Capitals in their next match at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, April 3. Delhi Capitals have only managed to secure one victory out of three matches so far.
