‘Shocked’ Mitchell Starc knows pressure comes with hefty price tag
New Delhi, December 19
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc today said he did not even dream of getting sold for Rs 24.75 crore in the IPL auction and admitted that the huge price tag would put some pressure on him.
Starc became the costliest player in the history of IPL when Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in an intense bidding war to add the 33-year-old to their roster.
“It was a shock, of course. Nothing I could have dreamt of. But no doubt, there will be some pressure that comes with the territory. But having the extra experience I have from my last IPL, hopefully, helps,” Starc said. “Few ups and downs I’ve had before but this comes with the territory and I try to be successful and have as much impact as possible.”
The left-arm speedster said the intense bidding for his services came as a humbling experience. “Humbling to still feel like I’m wanted or needed. My gameplay hasn’t changed much across formats except a few things here and there. Hopefully, the experience can translate to some success,” he said.
Starc’s Australian teammate Pat Cummins was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 20.50 crore, Rs 4.25 crore less than his price.
Starc said both him and Cummins will have to throw a party to their Australian teammates.
“Pat has gone to Sunrisers, but that’s where he was at KKR, and I hope to fill his shoes there. Our Test squad WhatsApp group has been going off to say it’s our shout to get dinner next. Something to do ahead of the Boxing Day Test. My wife Alyssa (Healy) is with the (Australia) women’s (cricket) team in India. So, she was getting updates quicker than what I was seeing on screen,” Starc chuckled. This will be Starc’s first IPL since 2015 and he was understandably excited to return to the cash-rich league.
“It has been a while. I’ve been involved with RCB in 2014-15, then picked up by KKR in 2018 but got injured. But I’ve been prioritising international cricket and Test cricket for Australia. Coming into the back end of this year and next year, it’s much quieter for Australia as a group so excited to be involved,” he said.
