Kolkata Knight Riders’ star fast-bowler Mitchell Starc has endured a tough start to IPL 2024, having failed to take a single wicket in the first two matches of the season. Former England pacer Stuart Broad backed the Australian to come good for his new team, saying he is currently lacking match awareness in the league. Starc gave away 47 runs against Bengaluru as Kolkata registered a 7-wicket win at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. He became the most-expensive player in the history of IPL when Kolkata shelled out a record Rs 24.75 crore for him at the mini-auction held in Dubai.
“He’s 2 for 2 in the win category, which I think what you judge yourself on. Generally, if you’re in a winning team, you remain in the team. He’ll be delighted that his team is getting over the line. If he’d bowled 0 for 100 and his team had lost both the matches then his spot would’ve come under the scanner,” said Broad.
“But that fact that they’ve won those games buys him time because they’ve spent so much money on him, they’re going to give him 5-7 matches to find some form and rhythm,” Broad added.
He went on to say that Starc will be a lethal bowler when he gets it right in the IPL, insisting that he is just lacking a bit of match awareness. Starc has given away 100 runs in two matches in IPL 2024, having failed to claim a single wicket since his move to Kolkata.
“There’s no doubt that when he gets it right, he’s lethal with the ball. But he is just lacking a bit of match awareness in the IPL. The more that he gets to know his captain and his fielding group, the better he’ll get. He’ll be feeling a bit of pressure because when you come with that price tag, you want to pick wickets,” said Broad.
Following their win against Bengaluru, Kolkata Knight Riders will trun their attention towards Delhi Capitals with the two sides set to clash in Vizag on April 3.
