3 reasons why Mitchell Starc is a great addition to Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders have broken the glass ceiling in this year’s IPL auction with a sensational bid of 24.75 crores for the Australian pacer Mitchell Starc. This is a historic move as no player has received that much money in the auction, but as Gautam Gambhir said, someone must pay for the skillsets he has. In this article, we will highlight 3 reasons why Mitchell Starc is a great addition to the Kolkata Knight Riders squad. 

A Bowler of the Highest Order

The first and foremost reason, leaving aside the price tag, is the sheer quality of the bowler. Mitchell Starc is one of the best bowlers around in international cricket at present and bringing him into the mix will certainly lift the level of this squad. Starc can bowl in any phase of the innings and on any track as he moves the ball in the air. He can excel on any kind of track and he has shown that in the past. 

Leader of the attack

Kolkata Knight Riders have struggled in the last few seasons as they did not have a premium fast bowler of Starc’s quality. When KKR won the IPL trophies in 2012 and 2014 they had a genuine fast bowler who led their bowling unit. In 2012 they had Brett Lee whereas a pacer like Morne Morkel was there in the 2014 IPL winning squad. Since then, KKR did not have a fast bowler of such quality but with Starc’s arrival, that issue can be addressed in the next season. 

Experience is treasure

In a tournament like IPL where there is a huge performance pressure, a team needs players with experience who can cope with that pressure. Mitchell Starc has a plethora of international experience which will come in handy for the franchise. He has also played in the IPL and knows what it is like to lead a bowling attack in IPL. A bowler like Starc can guide young pacers like Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana as well which will be a positive for the franchise in the long run.