"T20 is all about bowlers being smashed.."- Gautam Gambhir hides his face in shame to defend Mitchell Starc

Kolkata Knight Riders' mentor Gautam Gambhir has come out in defence of Mitchell Starc as the fast-bowler continues to struggle in the ongoing IPL 2024.

The focus is firmly on the Australia pacer as he came to India for the ongoing competition after becoming the most expensive player in the history of the IPL. The two-time IPL champions signed him up for a whopping amount of Rs 24.75 crore. 

However, Mitchell Starc has not managed to justify his huge price tag so far. Not only has he struggled to pick up wickets but has also failed to maintain a good economy rate. In three of the four games so far, he failed to pick up any wicket and has managed to take only two wickets so far. His economic rate of 11 has only made things worse for him.

Gautam Gambhir defends Mitchell Starc:

While Mitchell Starc is facing criticism from several quarters for his failure to justify his price tag in IPL 2024 so far, he has received some much-needed support from Gautam Gambhir. The former KKR captain made it clear that he is not at all worried about the pacer's performance in  IPL 2024. Gambhir is also confident that Starc will make an impact in the upcoming games.

"There's no reason why you should talk about individual performance. I feel that Mitchell Starc has done reasonably okay. I think he's bowled some tough overs. And he will create an impact, what he's been picked for," Gambhir told reporters in Kolkata on Saturday (April 13).

"It (his poor stats) doesn't matter, T20 cricket is all about bowlers getting smashed. We've got three wins out of four. In a team sport, it's the wins that matter. We have got three wins out of four. Why should I not be happy with anyone's performance? See, people have bad and good days, ultimately, it's the team that needs to win.

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"And we've got decent results in the first four games of the competition. And we all know how big a threat Mitchell Starc is. Four games don't make him a bad bowler. And four good games don't make him a brilliant bowler either. So I know what impact he can create and what impact he will create in the competition," he added.

Talking about KKR, they will be eyeing a win in the upcoming game to return to winning ways. KKR started their season with three wins in a row before suffering their first loss in the last game against Chennai Super Kings. They will be in action next against Lucknow Super Giants at home on Sunday (April 14).