IPL 2024: Second-placed KKR look to dethrone RR from pole position
But it’s easier said than done as the Rajasthan Royals have been ruthless throughout the tournament, barring a minor blip against Gujarat Titans.
The exit of star Australian pacer Mitchell Starc from the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) has made way for England’s Tom Curran to join the Kolkata Knight Riders squad.
Earlier, on 30 March, Shah-Rukh Khan-owned KKR got a big blow when star Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the upcoming season of the cash-rich league due to a stress fracture in his right leg.
Starc has also been ruled out of the fourth and series decider Test against South Africa, which started in Johannesburg on Monday. Australia’s Chadd Sayers will replace Starc in the final Test.
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“Mitchell Starc has a ‘tibial bone stress in his right leg’. He will return home for further assessment after the Test and will miss the IPL,” Cricket Australia tweeted from his official handle.
English all-rounder Curran was brought in Kolkata’s squad for his base price of INR 1 Cr.
Talking about joining KKR, Curran said: “I’m thrilled and excited to be joining Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL. I know from chatting to other players I can learn a lot from being in that environment, skills that I hope will benefit Surrey and my chances of representing England again this year and if selected, for next year’s World Cup,” according to Surrey’s press release.
Tom Curran has played 6 T20 International matches for England and took 7 wickets.
In the IPL auction, Mitchell Starc was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 9.4 crore. The Australian pacer has played 27 matches in the IPL and has taken 34 wickets with an economy rate of 7.17 so far.
Under the leadership of Dinesh Karthik KKR will start their campaign while playing against Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore in their first match of IPL 2018 on Sunday (April 8).
Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, Mitchell Starc, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Kuldeep Singh Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Nitish Rana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Mitchell Johnson, Shubman Gill, Ranganath Vinay Kumar, Rinku Singh, Cameron Delport, Javon Searless, Apoorv Vijay Wankhade, Ishank Jaggi, Tom Curran
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