IPL 2024: 3 Players KKR could have picked instead of Mitchell Starc

IPL 2024: 3 Players KKR should have picked instead of Mitchell Starc (Photo Source: X(Twitter)

Mitchell Starc was the star of the IPL 2024 auction. Along with fellow Australian Pat Cummins, he became the first of the two players to receive a bid of over INR 20 Cr in IPL history. However, Starc became the all-time most expensive buy in IPL history as Kolkata Knight Riders paid INR 24.75 Cr for his services.

It was a baffling amount for a cricketer who has never put IPL over international cricket and last played in the league in 2015-16 for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He was last drafted in an IPL auction in 2018, also by KKR, but Starc pulled out due to personal reasons and an injury. 

But this time when his name came up for bidding, first Royal Challengers Bangalore and then Gujarat Titans and KKR entered a bidding war, which was won by KKR. They needed an experienced pacer to guide their inexperienced Indian pacer battery and who was better than a T20 World Cup, a World Test Championship, and an ICC World Cup-winning bowler? 

However, many felt that Starc was overpaid a lot in the auction and there could’ve been much better and cheaper options for KKR. Let’s have a look at 3 such options.

Let’s look at the three players KKR could have picked instead of Mitchell Starc:

1. Alzarri Joseph

If Kolkata Knight Rider (KKR) had wanted pace in a fast bowler, West Indies’ young Alzarri Joseph would’ve been the best option to go for. And KKR wouldn’t have likely paid as much as RCB did for Joseph. Joseph became a roaring sensation in his IPL debut in 2019 when he recorded the best bowling figures in IPL history of 6/12. 

Since then, he made only nine and seven appearances in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, respectively for the Gujarat Titans. And this time, there was a bidding war for him involving Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Lucknow Super Giants. But it seems, he was not in plans for KKR Team, who had their eyes set on Mitchell Starc.

2. Mustafizur Rahman

Though not quite as pacy and speedy as Mitchell Starc, Mustafizur Rahman comes with his unique abilities. Possessing one of the most flexible bowling wrists for a pacer, Mustafizur can bowl well with both the new ball and he is a master of death overs bowling.

His ability to bowl pinpoint yorkers and slower balls with deadly accuracy has made him an asset for the Bangladesh team and T20 leagues worldwide. Mustafizur is a master of variations and KKR’s Indian pacers would’ve learned this art of death overs bowling from the master himself.

3. Pat Cummins

One player KKR missed out on buying was Pat Cummins, who had played twice previously for them in the IPL. The last time he played for KKR, Cummins had hit one of the fastest fifties in IPL history as well. But majorly, his job would’ve been to guide the young KKR pace battery.

And Cummins would’ve done that brilliantly, having guided Australia to the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup glory in just one calendar year. The right-arm pacer would’ve extended their batting as well, providing comfort for the collapses that sometimes plague KKR.