Mitchell Starc reveals the reason behind missing Kolkata Knight Riders' shambolic loss to Punjab Kings in IPL 2024

Australian bowler Mitchell Starc revealed the reason behind why he missed the match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. Mitchell Starc stated that he sustained an injury to his bowling follow-through from a previous game in this year's T20 tournament.

Mitchell Starc was picked up for a whopping Rs 24.5 crore during the auction in December last year. However, the left-arm pacer had struggled to find his form in this year's tournament. Nevertheless, his absence from the field against the Mohali-based franchise had nothing to do with his poor run of form.

The 34-year-old pacer had to miss the match against the Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. He had spiked his finger in the side's previous match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He was unable to play because he was not allowed to take the field with finger tape on his injured hand.

I Do It On The Same Leg - Mitchell Starc

Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, Mitchell Starc explained that he missed the match against the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2024 because he injured his finger in the previous game. The veteran fast bowler said that he had split his finger during his follow-through and was unable to play with the injury.

"I still do. I did it in the IPL. I missed the game against the Punjab Kings because of the game before I'd split it. No, I do it on the same leg. So I do my left hand on my left foot in my follow-through," Starc said.

📽️WATCH : Mitchell Starc tells you the reason why he didn't play the match against Punjab Kings in IPL.

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The Punjab Kings achieved a record-breaking win by chasing down a target of 262 runs, the highest ever in T20 cricket. The Punjab team defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets at the iconic Eden Gardens. Jonny Bairstow played a pivotal role in this historic chase with an unbeaten 108 runs off 48 balls.

The Knight Riders smashed their second-highest total in IPL history after being asked to bat. Openers Phil Salt (75 off 37) and Sunil Narine (71 off 32) shared a 138-run stand. Venkatesh Iyer (39), Andre Russell (24), and Shreyas Iyer (28) made useful contributions as the home team reached a mammoth total.

In response, the Punjab Kings chased down KKR's massive total in just 18.4 overs. Jonny Bairstow led with an unbeaten century, while Prabhsimran Singh (54 runs off 20 balls) and Shashank Singh (68* runs off 28 balls) provided strong support. The match saw a record 42 sixes in the IPL 2024 encounter.

The 34-year-old left-arm pacer played a crucial role in the Knight Riders' first IPL victory in a decade. Starc ended the IPL 2024 season with 17 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 26.11 with an economy rate of 10.61. He became the first player to win the Player of the Match award twice during the IPL playoffs.