Twitter ecstatic as KKR bag the Australian pacer Mitchell Starc

Left-arm pacers and Kolkata Knight Riders have always had their share of love in the Indian Premier League. The Shah Rukh Khan-owned side has always had a left-arm pacer in their shed, with Kiwi bowler Trent Boult the last left-arm pacer to represent the Knight Riders.

After having Boult in the last season, the franchise went hard head-to-head with the likes of Kings XI Punjab to acquire the services of the Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc. Representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, the Australian pacer has picked up 34 wickets, leaking 7.16 runs at an average.

However, Starc’s strike rate has been raking high, with the left-armer picking up a wicket every 17th delivery in his IPL career. Not only will the KKR have Andre Russell in their shed who have they have retained prior to the IPL Auctions but also would have Starc to bowl at the end of the innings.

What does Starc bring to the KKR side?

Starc’s innate ability to knock the timber with his reverse swing might just come handy for the KKR towards the death end of the innings. Also, the left-arm pacer could hit the long ball out of the park which is an added advantage for KKR. The Australian bowler has been in scintillating form in the Ashes, where he has bowled with vigour and vale to dismiss the English batsmen.

In the 85 matches that the left-arm pacer has played, he has taken 127 wickets at an economy rate of slightly above 7 runs an over. After having started the auction with a base price of 2 crores, the left-arm pacer was in a bidding war between the franchises, before KKR snapped him up at 9.4 crores.

Twitter is a happy place as KKR bought the Australian pacer, after having retained quality T20 players in the form of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine:

Mitchell Starc not a huge gain for KKR.

Fitness level not good, form not consistent. Only thing is when he's in form, he's danger. But that's for a short while.

KKR could have saved the money for someone else TBH. #IPLAuction2018 #IPLAuction

— Shrushti ? (@shrushtispeaks) January 27, 2018

VIVO #IPLAuction: @KKRiders gets @mstarc56 for INR 9.40 Cr #KKR pic.twitter.com/eyDNpou8Xe

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) January 27, 2018

Mitchell starc is a great addition. now go for lynn manish pandey and Robin #IPLAuction #KKR

— SHAHID ♥ ARYAN (@iamark13) January 27, 2018

KKR has the habit in investing huge amount in fast bowlers and this it is Mitchell Starc. Though he just missed being equal to Tony Starc. #IPLAuction

— Paresh Godhwani (@Par_God) January 27, 2018

Welcome Mitchell Starc to #KKR family. #Iplauction

— Sumit kadel (@SumitkadeI) January 27, 2018

Mitchell Starc sold for $1.8 million ?

Meaning he’ll roughly earn…
$300,000 a week.
$128,500 a game.
$5350 for every ball bowled.#IPLauction

— Kath Loughnan (@KathLoughnanFOX) January 27, 2018

KKR beat KXIP in a two-way bidding battle to snap up Mitchell Starc for INR 9.40 Crore

— Devendra Bhatt (@Devendrabhatt69) January 27, 2018

Kkr hits the bulls eye by purchasing mitchell starc, wah what a bowling attack narine, starc & russel @KKRiders #IPLAuction

— kaushik (@srkismylyf) January 27, 2018

Mitchell Starc sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for $1.8m.

Chris Gayle goes unsold.

?#IPLAuction2018 pic.twitter.com/rmL12M8RiN

— bet365_aus (@bet365_aus) January 27, 2018

Mitchell Starc to KKR ahhh I love this game ???

— Arbaaz (@afcArbaaz) January 27, 2018

Eden Gardens has grass on it's pitch! Cannot wait for #MitchellStarc to exploit it! He will be able to reverse-swing on it.#KKR has got an awesome purchase. ?#IPLAuction #KnightsOf2018

— Jedi SRKian (@sohompramanick) January 27, 2018

KKR beat KXIP in a two-way bidding battle to snap up Mitchell Starc for INR 9.40 Crore. #IPLAuction

— Cricket Sarcasms (@CricketSarcasms) January 27, 2018

Pacy pitch at Eden and #mitchellstarc as knight gonna be a deadly combination #KKR #IPLAuction @KKRiders

— Himanshu Guleria (@guleriahimanshu) January 27, 2018