‘Expectation with price tag makes players push out little bit harder…’ – Ricky Ponting delves into Mitchell Starc’s dismal opening run in IPL 2024

Ricky Ponting and Mitchell Starc. (Source – Twitter/X)

Despite winning the Player of the Match awards in the Qualifier 1 and the final, propelling the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title, Mitchell Starc’s performance fell short of the hefty price tag he commanded as the IPL’s most expensive bid at INR 24.75 crore during the initial phase of the season. His struggles to find form were evident in the initial matches against the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, conceding a staggering 100 runs and going wicketless in his first eight overs.

Former Australia skipper and head coach of the Delhi Capitals, Ricky Ponting, whose team failed to progress past the league stage due to net run rate, addressed Starc’s slow beginning in a conversation with the International Cricket Council. He cited the steep price tag as a factor and stated that it’s common for players to overexert themselves in an attempt to justify such a high valuation. He also cited KKR’s home ground, Eden Gardens, as a reason for Starc’s uncanny struggles, and pointed out that it typically provides early swing for fast bowlers under the lights, but that wasn’t the case during this season. He attributed Starc’s high economy rate to the ground’s small dimensions and the rock-hard concrete outfield.

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“The expectation that comes with the price tag sometimes makes players push a little bit harder and try to do more than they need to do. You know, conditions where Mitch was bowling at the Eden Gardens, the ball didn’t really swing much there this year, and the ground is like, like it’s a small ground and the outfield’s like concrete,” Ponting shared with ICC.

Ponting foresees Starc excelling at the T20 World Cup 2024

Building on his statement, the 49-year-old compared India and the Caribbean in terms of favorability for fast-bowling. He noted that in India, the dimensions and outfield are designed to favour batters, with even bowlers of Starc’s pace not being spared, as French cuts often find their way to the boundary. In contrast, he mentioned that the Caribbean, with its slower winds and less lush outfield, would be more conducive to Starc’s success than the conditions in the IPL and that Starc would have a much more profound impact at the marquee event to be played in June.

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“And when you’re bowling at Starc’s pace, inside edges that just make their way through the field end up going for four. It’s not the easiest place in the world to bowl fast, but, you know, if we go to the Caribbean where the wind’s a little bit slower and the ball’s not flying off the bat quite as hard, then Starc will have an impact,” added Ponting.