Not Sunil Narine or Venkatesh Iyer! Dinesh Karthik names this KKR member as Player of the Playoffs

Dinesh Karthik, who retired from all forms of cricket after IPL 2024, has revealed his best player from KKR for IPL 2024 playoffs. According to Dinesh Karthik, it was not Sunil Narine with the most runs or Varun Chakravarty with the most wickets for the team.

Dinesh Karthik feels that Mitchell Starc is his player in the IPL 2024 final and playoffs as well. The Aussie pacer picked 2 wickets for just 14 runs in the match across his 3 overs. He got the crucial wicket of Abhishek Sharma in his very first over.

Dinesh Karthik Lauds Mitchell Starc 

Later, he also dismantled Rahul Tripathi in the 5th over. Both the wickets were clean bowled and set the initial momentum for victory for the team. While speaking to Crizbuzz, Karthik hailed Mitchell Starc’s awesome performance in the playoffs and termed him the player of the match. 

“For me, he's (Mitchell Starc) the player of the match. I don't know who IPL is gonna give it to, but for me he's the player of the match and to be fair the player of the playoffs too".

"In both the games, he got the big wickets and it's the most important, you know, there's obviously saying that a job well begun is half done and that's exactly what he's done for KKR on both locations”, he said. 

Karthik also hailed Starc's style of getting wickets in the initial overs and following his bowling through confidence and momentum. 

"Similar template, you know, starting the first over, gets a wicket and you know, that just gets the team buzzing, pulls a great spell in both the power plays and then the rest of it, the team follows through with the confidence and momentum that they get. He's been outstanding", he said. 

A massive lesson for young boys: Mitchell Starc 

Karthik also feels Starc has put a massive lesson for young boys that the result matters the most. Notably, Starc was highly expensive in KKR’s opening game against SRH but grabbed the limelight in the final game. 

"Again, a massive lesson for young boys. It really is okay sometimes to fail at the start or through the middle. It's about how you finish and that Mitchell Starc has shown how it needs to be done", he said. 

Karthik also noted that Starc has shown that you can go anywhere with the belief and you just need to stay afloat. 

"Just the belief you need to because when you're constantly seeing other performers in different games, you tend to beat down yourself a lot more than you should”. 

“Just to stay, just to stay afloat, still focus on what you need to be doing and be happy for others through that journey will eventually take you to a new place where you can fire when it matters the most because the belief will be the most then. And that is what Mitchell Stark has done”, he further said. 

Also Read: KKR to blame for Mitchell Starc's early struggle in IPL 2024? Ricky Ponting explains the key reason

Mitchell Starc ended with 17 wickets in 13 games in the season at an average of 26.12. However, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell grabbed more wickets than him with 17 and 19 respectively. Varun Chakaravarthy finished as the top wicket-taker for the side with his 14 runs. Sunil Narine hit the most 488 runs for the team.