McGrath predicted that if Starc manages to get movement from the surface there will be no stopping for him on his IPL return.
Legendary pacer Glenn McGrath gave his take on Mitchell Starc’s sensational return to the Indian Premier League as Kolkata Knight Riders signed him for a whopping INR 24.75 crore. The left-arm paceman became the most expensive player in the tournament history despite missing the last eight seasons of IPL. Starc initiated a bidding war in the IPL auction between several franchises including Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders. However, KKR mentor Gautam Gambhir was adamant about signing the Aussie paceman and sealed the move with a historic bid.
Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in the IPL history.
Starc picked for 34 wickets in 27 matches as he played only two seasons in IPL – 2014 and 2015 where he led the RCB bowling attack.
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McGrath predicted that if Starc manages to get movement from the surface there will be no stopping for him on his IPL return.
“For Starc, he chose not to come to the IPL due to personal reasons. But he comes back and gets a record price. He will be looking forward to it. On his day, if he is moving the ball around, he will be as good as any other fast bowler,” McGrath said in a media interaction at MRF Pace Foundation.
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Apart from Starc, another Australian Pat Cummins hit the pay dirt as Sunrisers Hyderabad splashed INR 20.5 crore in the auction to acquire his services and later named him their skipper for IPL 2024.
However, McGrath feels that the heft price tag won’t put any pressure on the Aussie pace duo in the cash-rich league.
“The money that they have received is incredible. But they are both very experienced players and know the game well. They are going to go out and play well as they have done in the past. I don’t think it (price tag) will impact them even one percent,” added McGrath.
The Aussie great further gave his take on how long will Starc continue to play at the highest level as he still plays all three departments regularly at the age of 34.
“It all depends on what he (Starc) wants. I retired when I was 33 and Jimmy Anderson is still moving the ball at 41. It’s about how much game time he gets and how he and his body are enjoying it,” said McGrath.
