Once Mitchell Starc starts getting that inswing, he will be a bowler to watch out for throughout the IPL: Irfan Pathan

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) broke the bank and signed Mitchell Starc for INR 24.75 crore in the IPL auction. However, the Australia pacer hasn’t been able to repay their faith in KKR’s first two matches in the IPL 2024 season. The 34-year-old leaked 53 runs in their match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Eden Gardens and conceded 47 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which led to massive criticism on social media.

However, former cricketer Irfan Pathan expects Starc to make a comeback in the remaining matches of the tournament. The 39-year-old believes that the Aussie speedster is taking his time to get adjusted to Indian conditions and once he gets into the groove, the batters will have a tough time in the middle. The former left-arm seamer also analysed that Starc is extremely dangerous when he swings the ball, but the seamer hasn’t been able to do that in the season, according to Pathan.

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“Starc is at his best when he is swinging the ball in. When that looping swing starts to the right-hand batter, it can be lethal. And I haven't seen that in the last two games. The head could just be staying on the ball a bit more, or it could just be the pitches, or it could just be getting used to Indian conditions. Once he starts getting that inswing, he will be a bowler to watch out for throughout the IPL,” the Baroda-born said on Star Sports.

Steven Smith provides feedback to Starc

Starc’s national teammate Steven Smith is of the opinion that the cricketer is not swinging the ball against right-handers and, for the same reason, he is going for a lot of runs. The former Australia captain added that Starc is looking to wobble the ball on most occasions and expects him to change that to produce better results for producing successful outcomes.

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“I think today he was looking to wobble the ball across the right-handed batter, which is a good option, but I feel like he's got to swing it back down the line. He is a left-hand fast bowler who can bowl at 145+ kmph. There's nothing like a ball swinging back into a right-handed batsman. It's one of the hardest balls to face. So I'd like to see that first and use that one as a variation to trying to nick off from them,” Smith said.