Achi news desk-
The $4.43m invested by Kolkata Knight Riders in Mitchell Starc has yet to bear fruit with the left-arm pacer bowling another expensive spell without a wicket in the IPL, but with KKR two from two there is time for the Australian to settle.
Starc’s four overs against Royal Challengers Bengaluru went for 47, which means he has now conceded 100 runs in eight overs without taking a wicket.
But despite Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 83 for RCB, the visitors fell short of the victory target with 3.1 overs and seven wickets to spare, the first away win in the 10 IPL matches so far.
On a two-speed pitch that became easier to bat on RCB made 6-182, with Kohli’s main support coming from Australians Cameron Green (33 off 21 balls) and Glenn Maxwell (28 off 19 balls).
Kolkata opener Sunil Narine, playing his 500th Twenty20, then Phil Salt launched a rocket of 85 in the powerplay. Narine, 47 off 22, smashed five sixes and two fours. Englishman Salt made 30 off 20. Green bowled once for seven runs and Maxwell did not bowl.
Starc was playing against his old team, having represented RCB in 2014 and 2015 taking 34 wickets in total. Returning to the IPL this year and in great demand, he became the most expensive player in the competition’s history.
However, he was 0-53 in four overs on the first match and on Friday, after seeing his first ball edged by Kohli for four, it was no better.
His second over went for 21, but while Kohli scored a bad ball for a six over mid-wicket, he and Green also scored to the boundary.
Starc returned for a tighter 17th over but then went for 16 off the final over with Kohli and Dinesh Karthik (20 off eight) smashing it for six on the leg side.
Finding the edge three times suggests the wickets will come to Starc, and with KKR one of only three unbeaten teams left in the ten-team league the pressure on him has yet to become suffocating.
with AP
