NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders think-tank finally heaved a big sigh of relief after star pacer Mitchell Starc returned to form, picking up three wickets against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their IPL match in Kolkata on Sunday.
Prior to this match, the Australian left-arm fast bowler, acquired by the franchise for a staggering sum of Rs 24.75 crore, managed only two wickets in four matches, with an average of 77 runs per wicket and conceding 11 runs per over.
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Riding on Nicholas Pooran's (45) late fireworks, LSG posted a respectable 161/7 at the Eden Gardens.
Starc, who was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/28, claimed Deepak Hooda's wicket before dismissing Pooran and Arshad Khan in the last over of the innings.
"Always nice to contribute. We were pretty good throughout the innings. Day game so it was warmer than the last time we played here. Took some time getting used to. Wicket was probably a little two-paced. Not the biggest ground in the world but we were pretty good with the ball. Sunil was fantastic through the middle," Starc said at the mid-innings interaction.
"All our bowlers chipped in with the ball. Part of my role is to swing that ball, and I look to pitch it up and swing it. But on that wicket had to pull the length back a little bit and let the wicket do what it did," Starc added.
Starc's bowling in over (16-20) this IPL
Before today: 0/54 (4), ER: 13.5Today: 2/6 (1), ER: 6.00
Earlier on Saturday, Starc found support from KKR mentor Gambhir, who said: "It (his poor stats) doesn't matter, T20 cricket is all about bowlers getting smashed. We've got three wins out of four."
“In a team sport, it's the wins that matter. We have got three wins out of four. Why should I not be happy with anyone's performance? See, people have bad and good days, ultimately, it's the team that needs to win," Gambhir added.
"And we've got decent results in the first four games of the competition. And we all know how big a threat Mitchell Starc is. Four games doesn't make him a bad bowler.
"And four good games doesn't make him a brilliant bowler either. So I know what impact he can create and what impact he will create in the competition."
