After early IPL 2024 setbacks, Steve Smith suggests Mitchell Starc’s gameplan, saying, “It’s one of the hardest balls to face.”

It hasn’t been particularly memorable for Mitchell Starc to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) again after a nine-year absence. He has failed to claim a wicket and given up 100 runs in the opening two games.

After struggling with their death bowling in the previous season, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) signed Starc for a record-breaking INR 24.75 crore to solve the problem. Starc is without a doubt a credible death-over specialist, but in IPL 2024, the left-arm seamer has simply failed to get off to a quick start. Not all of the hitters he has faced have been flawless with the Yankees, but they have been adept at handling the short balls. He hasn’t been able to deliver with the new ball either.

On Friday, March 29, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, KKR defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the second straight game. But Mitchell Starc came back with dismal results in his four overs, 0/47.

The veteran speedster is attempting to take the ball across the right-handed batters, according to his Australian teammate Steve Smith, who is a member of Star Sports’ expert panel for the IPL 2024 coverage. The former Australian captain, though, believed that if he attempted to swing the ball back into them, he could be far more deadly.

While it’s a solid alternative, I believe he needs to swing the ball back down the line. I believe he was trying to wobble the ball across the right-handed batsman tonight (against Royal Challengers Bengaluru). With a top speed of over 145 KMPH, he is a left-handed fast bowler. Nothing compares to a ball swinging back into a right-handed hitter. It’s one of the most difficult balls to hit. So I want to watch that first and attempt to nick off from them with that one as a variant,” Smith stated to Star Sports.

He will be a bowler to keep an eye on throughout the IPL once he begins to show some life. Irfan Pathan

Regarding Starc’s secret to success, Smith and former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan were in agreement. The 39-year-old surmised that the pacer’s lacklustre start to the 2024 IPL may be attributed to a number of factors. Irfan did say that Mitchell Starc would be the bowler to watch out for if he began to bring the ball back into the right-handed batter’s reach.

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“When he swings the ball in, Starc performs at his peak. That looping swing has the potential to be fatal when it begins for the right-hand hitter. And in the previous two games, I didn’t witness that. It could be that the head is simply becoming accustomed to Indian circumstances, the pitches, or simply staying on the ball a little longer. He will be a bowler to keep an eye on throughout the IPL once he starts to develop that inswing, Irfan stated.