Mitchell Starc made the headlines again after he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs. 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 Auction, making the transfer the most expensive one in the history of the IPL auction. This is the second time he joined the KKR side though he has yet to play a match in the KKR jersey.

The two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders finished seventh in the last IPL. The return of Shreyas Iyer this year to the squad and getting Gautam Gambhir back as a mentor will elevate the Knight's morale.

If we look deeper into the KKR squad, the team seems to be balanced with experienced players from all the categories. On the bowling side, KKR always has been a spinner-heavy squad. This trend cost KKR dearly on many occasions, mainly in the slog overs. Now, Mitchell Starc on their side, the pace-battery of KKR may solve this problem.

The 34-year-old Australian left-arm fast bowler will spearhead the KKR pace attack this season. Though Starc did not have much exposure to IPL, he has ample experience in international cricket which makes him the perfect choice for this role.

Is Mitchell Starc going to play in the match against SRH?

KKR is starting its IPL 2024 journey by welcoming Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens on March 23.

SRH's top order has players like Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi and Travis Head. An experienced fast bowler like Starc will be crucial to dismantle the SRH batting unit at the top, especially the likes of Mayank Agarwal, who has a history of issues with pace.

KKR do have a strong set of spinners and Eden Gardens has been a spin-friendly wicket over the years. Andre Russell, Sunil Narine will be the sure overseas starters for them, and Starc is likely to be one of the other two players.

Also this is the first match of the season and thus we can expect the Eden pitch to have some help for pacers, Hence keeping that in mind, Mitchell Starc is going to be pivotal in KKR's bowling strategy in the match against SRH and is surely going to start the match.