Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowler Mitchell Starc has dismissed concerns over criticism regarding his performances in the ongoing IPL 2024. The Australian sprinter emphasized that his focus is on staying away from outside noise.
Starc is the most expensive player in IPL history, and two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) signed the Australian speedster for a hefty sum of Rs 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 auction on last year. However, the senior pacer is yet to do justice to the high price tag of him.
Starc had a really poor start to his IPL 2024 campaign with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). However, he managed to put up some eye-catching bowling performances during Kolkata’s final IPL 2024 match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Eden Gardens on Sunday, April 14.
Mitchell Starc is not bothered by criticism and is focused on delivering the best for KKR.
He recorded impressive bowling figures of 2/28 in his quota of 4 overs to help Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) restrict Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) to a below-average total of 161 for 7. Then, the Purple Army chased after them. the target in just 15.4 overs with eight wickets in hand.
After KKR’s 8-wicket win over LSG, Starc said he doesn’t mind the criticism and admitted it will take some getting used to as he hasn’t played much T20 cricket in the last two. of years.
Also Read: “Maxwell and I always laugh about it…” – Pat Cummins’ fiery warning to Virat Kohli’s RCB
Notably, the tall pacer had taken just 2 wickets in the first 4 matches before showing a glimpse of his form against Lucknow in the ongoing IPL 2024.
Micthell Starc stated after the KKR vs LSG match: “I don’t read anything, so that doesn’t bother me. I haven’t played much T20 cricket in recent years so it’s probably taken me a little longer than I would have liked to get back into the swing of things and make a better impact. So today was nice in that sense.”
Mitchell Starc confident of managing workload at IPL 2024
Starc played down concerns about workload saying Test specialists like him are well aware of the demands of T20 cricket. Despite having a busy schedule that included Ashes and ODI World Cup 2023 before being available for IPL 2024, the 34-year-old pacer is confident of managing his workload effectively.
The Australian pacer added: “I’m 34 so I’m pretty good with my workload. I’ve been doing this for a long time, so it’s okay. It’s T20 cricket. For guys who play a lot of Test cricket, this is certainly a lot easier physically. “It’s probably more about getting used to the tactical aspect.”
Reflecting on KKR’s promising start to the season, Starc gave credit to the team’s collective effort and said they look forward to their upcoming matches in the tournament with a positive outlook.
KKR will face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their next game of the ongoing IPL 2024 on Tuesday, April 16 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. They are currently in second place with 8 points in the points table.