Australian pace maestro Mitchell Starc is likely to be released by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the much-anticipated 2025 IPL mega auction. Just last year, KKR splashed a staggering Rs 24.75 crore on the 34-year-old, making him the most expensive player in IPL history. It marked Starc’s grand return to the league after an eight-year hiatus, and he didn’t disappoint.
In a dream season, Starc lived up to every rupee of his record-breaking fee, helping KKR clinch its third IPL title. He saved his best for the final, delivering a match-winning performance against Hyderabad. With two crucial wickets and an economy of just 4.66 across his three overs, Starc was pivotal in reducing the opposition to a mere 113. His heroics earned him the Player of the Match title, adding to his previous award in the playoffs, making him the first player in IPL history to win two Player of the Match awards in a single playoff run.
Across the 2024 season, Starc’s lethal left-arm pace fetched him 17 wickets in 14 matches, proving his value as a strike bowler. This standout season was a memorable comeback, as Starc last appeared in the IPL back in 2015 with Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he impressed with 20 wickets in 13 games at an average of 14.55 and a miserly economy of 6.76.
Despite being signed by KKR in 2018 for Rs 9.4 crore, fate had kept him from donning the purple and gold back then due to injury. But in 2024, Starc’s redemption arc finally unfolded on IPL’s grandest stage, sealing his legacy in IPL folklore before this unexpected release. Now, fans await to see where the next chapter will take one of cricket’s fiercest fast bowlers.
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