Starc, who was bought by KKR for a staggering Rs 24.75 crore, conceded 50 runs in his four-over spell during KKR’s close loss.
Pathan expressed his worry about Starc’s form on X, stating, “Most expensive player in your team can’t be your weak link.”
In KKR’s previous match against the Lucknow Super Giants, Starc had shown improvement, taking three wickets while giving away 28 runs in his four overs.However, he struggled to maintain that performance against RR.
Starc’s opening over went for 11 runs, setting the stage for a high-scoring chase. In the powerplay, he bowled two overs, remained wicketless, and conceded 24 out of the total 76 runs scored. Despite the efforts of Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana, who each claimed a wicket, Starc failed to provide the necessary support.
As the chase intensified, Shreyas Iyer‘s decision to rely on Starc proved costly. The Australian pacer gave away 18 runs in the 18th over, reducing the equation from 46 runs in 18 balls to a more manageable 28 runs in 12 balls. Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy were unable to defend the target in the final two overs, as RR secured the victory on the last ball of the match.
(With inputs from ANI)
