Mitchell Starc delivered a sensational spell with the new ball to script Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) thumping eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2024 final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday (May 26).
The left-arm pacer, who was signed by KKR for a record sum of INR 24.75 Crore in the IPL auction last December, stepped up in the big game for the franchise.
Starc knocked over in-form SRH opener Abhishek Sharma with a jaffa in the very first over of the final. He also dismissed Rahul Tripathi in the fifth over and returned with the figures of 2/14 in his three overs, earning him the Player-of-the-Match award.
After struggling in the initial few matches, Mitchell Starc finished the IPL 2024 season with 17 wickets from 14 matches, including a match-winning 3-34 in Qualifier 1 against SRH.
"Great night for KKR. What a game, what a season. Probably the two most exciting teams in the final, it was a great final. We have had a fantastic squad of bowlers and batters, our staff have been fantastic to get everyone peaking. We've been such a consistent side, contributions from everyone. We lost the toss and got to use the ball first. Having watched the match a few nights ago here, not really what the wicket was going to do. It was about adapting," Starc said after KKR won the title.
"Shreyas was fantastic with the way he used the bowlers and fields. Credits to him. The bowling unit showed all the skills," he added.
"There's been jokes about the money. It's been a long time since I have played the IPL. I am experienced, that's helped with all the expectations. Glad that I am experienced and older. It's been a lot of fun. Full credit to the whole players and staff," he further stated.
Thanks to the brilliant spell from Starc, who was assisted well by Andre Russel (3-19), Harshit Rana (2-24) and Vaibhav Arora (1-24), KKR bundled out SRH for a paltry 113 in 18.3 overs.
In reply, KKR overhauled the target with eight wickets and 57 deliveries to spare. While Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 39 off 32 balls at the top, Venkatesh Iyer stayed unbeaten on 52 off 26 balls to seal the deal.
