Mitchell Starc has finally justified his hefty price tag by delivering a stellar performance for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing first qualifier of IPL 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The left-arm pacer has wreaked havoc on SRH’s batting lineup, putting KKR in a commanding position early in the match.

Mitchell Starc’s brilliance was evident as he claimed three crucial wickets within the powerplay, reducing SRH to a precarious 39 for 4 after just five overs. He set the tone in the very first over by clean-bowling the in-form Travis Head for a duck, providing KKR with a dream start. The momentum continued in the next over when Vaibhav Arora dismissed the dangerous Abhishek Sharma for just 3 runs, further denting SRH’s hopes.

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Mitchell Starc’s impact was felt again in the fifth over when he dismissed Nitish Reddy and Shahbaz Ahmed on consecutive deliveries. First, he induced an edge from Reddy, which was comfortably caught by wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz. On the very next ball, Starc delivered a fast, length delivery around off-stump, which Shahbaz Ahmed misjudged, resulting in an inside edge that shattered his stumps. This double blow firmly put KKR in the driver’s seat.

Not a good day to be a Stump 🥲#IPLonJioCinema #TATAIPL #KKRvSRH #TATAIPLPlayoffs #MitchellStarc pic.twitter.com/9XoxrrdzMs

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 21, 2024

At the end of the 10th over, SRH were struggling at 94 for 4, with Heinrich Klaasen and Rahul Tripathi trying to stabilize the innings. Klaasen was batting on 31, while Tripathi was unbeaten on 46. Both batsmen looked well-set and were crucial to SRH’s hopes of posting a competitive total. However, they failed to build a significant partnership and bat through the remaining overs,  and got bundled out for 159 in the 20th over. 

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This match, pivotal for both teams, will determine who advances directly to the final. With the stakes so high, every moment and every performance counts, and Mitchell Starc’s early breakthroughs have certainly given KKR a significant edge in this crucial encounter.