WATCH: Rinku Singh Punishes 'Most Expensive Player' Mitchell Starc in KKR's Practice Game Ahead of IPL 2024

Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc will be under focus when the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 begins later this week. The left-arm returns to the cash-rich league after a decade as the most expensive cricketer in the tournament’s rich history. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) broke the all-time auction record last year in Dubai to rope him in at a whopping price of Rs 24.75 crore to bolster their pace attack that had lacked sting in the recent past.

The KKR will begin their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday and ahead of the game, the players engaged in an intra-squad practice match at the Eden Gardens. Representing Team Purple in their game against Team Gold, Starc bowled full tilt with the new ball. However, he conceded runs in plenty with Rinku Singh on strike. Starc leaked 20 runs in the final over to end up with figures of 4-0-40-1.

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Meanwhile, a video clip from the practice game has gone viral on social media in which Rinku could be seen smashing Starc for a six. The Aussie pacer erred on his yorker and ended up bowling a full toss. Rinku flicked it over midwicket to clear the fence.

This will be the first time that Starc will be appearing in an IPL season since 2015 with the left-arm pacer’s participation hampered by a combination of injuries and prioritising his Test career. He made his IPL debut in 2014 and represented Royal Challengers Bangalore for two seasons.

“It’s been 8 years, I think. Back to KKR where I was supposed to be in 2018. So I’ll be back there for the chance to pull on the gold and purple. I guess my memories are few and far between back in 2014 and 2015 with RCB but yeah, really excited to get stuck in. Obviously, a new group of players. A bunch of guys I certainly haven’t met or been able to work with before,” Starc told cricket.com.au.

(With Agency Inputs)