• Source:JND
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KKR vs PBKS, IPL 2024: Mitchell Starc missed out for the first time in IPL 2024 for Kolkata Knight Riders as they take on Punjab Kings in match 42 of the IPL 2024 at the Eden Gardens on Friday, April 26.

Starc, who made his return to the IPL cricket after a long gap of nine years, has had a tough time with the ball this season.

KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer confirmed Starc’s unavailability during the toss, saying that the Aussie pacer missed out due to an injury.

“Starcy got a cut on his finger in the last game and Dushmantha Chameera comes in. We want to continue the same form and momentum,” he said.

Notably, Starc made his IPL return with a bang at the auction last December as he was bought by KKR for a whopping sum of 24.75 cr, making him the most expensive signing in IPL history.

However, his performances in the tournament so far haven't done justice to the price tag as he has taken just six wickets in seven innings and has an economy of 11.48 which completely goes against the bowler of his standards.

Starc's unavailability in the side allowed Chameera to make his first appearance for KKR this season, having joined the side as a replacement for Gus Atkinson.

While skipper Shreyas mentioned Starc's finger injury which he suffered during the match against RCB for his absence in the match, netizens came up with different claims with some of them mentioning the star pacer as 'dropped' due to disappointing performances.

 

Starc's performance in IPL 2024

Starc has featured in KKR's all first seven matches and has taken just six wickets at an average of 47.83 and his economy of 11.48 is only better than Anrich Nortje (13.36) among pacers who have bowled at least 11 overs this season.

The star Aussie pacer has gone wicket-less on four occasions and conceded 50-plus runs thrice this season.

Starc conceded less than eight runs per over on just one occasion when he came up with the match-winning figures of 3/28 in four overs against Lucknow Super Giants at the Eden Gardens.

1/55, 0/50, 0/29, 2/25, 0/47, and 0/53 are his figures in the other matches this season.

Talking about the match, Punjab Kings won the toss and opted to bowl first, aiming to get something promising out of this disappointing season.

On the other hand, KKR have been in sublime form despite Starc's tough time as they stand in the second position in the points table with five wins and 10 points after seven matches.