Revealed: Why Mitchell Starc isn't included in KKR playing XI vs PBKS

Mitchell Starc has just picked up six wickets so far in the ongoing IPL 2024 for KKR.

Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) suffered a big setback as their star pacer Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on April 26.

Punjab’s stand-in captain Sam Curran won the crucial toss and then invited the hosts to bat first in match No. 42 of the IPL 2024 on Friday. However, in a surprising turn of events, Kolkata skipper Shreyas Iyer revealed that Starc, who is the most expensive IPL player, will not be part of their playing XI.

He got a cut on his finger in the last game: Shreyas Iyer on Mitchell Starc

During the toss, KKR skipper Iyer stated that during the last game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Starc got a cut on his finger which is why he is not playing against PBKS. Dushmantha Chameera, who joined the Kolkata camp as a replacement for Gus Atkinson, replaced Starc in the playing XI against PBKS.

“We’ve had different players stepping up at different times, that’s the thing I’m pleased about this season. Starcy got a cut on his finger in the last game, Dushmantha Chameera replaces him. Need a great start and then convert it into a big score, hoping to continue the same form and momentum,” Shreyas Iyer said during the toss.

How Mitchell Starc has performed so far in the IPL 2024?

KKR bought Mitchell Starc for a whopping price of Rs 24.75 crores at the IPL 2024 auction. However, the Australian pacer hasn’t lived up to his expectations. In seven matches in the ongoing 17th edition of the IPL, the left-arm pacer has picked up just six wickets at a poor economy of 11.48 for KKR.

KKR vs PBKS: Playing XIs of both teams

Kolkata Knight Riders Playing XI: Philip Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Dushmantha Chameera, Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana.

Punjab Kings Playing XI: Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran (c), Rilee Rossouw, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh.

KKR vs PBKS: Impact subs of both teams

Punjab Kings Impact Subs: Prabhsimran Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, Prince Choudhary.

Kolkata Knight Riders Subs: Suyash Sharma, Anukul Roy, Manish Pandey, Vaibhav Arora, Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

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