I would assume that Mitchell Starc, especially at that price, hasn't really hit the nail on its head: Ian Bishop

Mitchell Starc failed to build on his three-for against Lucknow Super Giants as he conceded 50 runs in four overs and went wicketless against Rajasthan Royals as Kolkata Knight Riders lost a high-scoring thriller at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday, April 16.

After a gap of eight years, Starc decided to return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) and his name started a bidding war in the auction in December 2023. After a rigorous bidding process, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured the services of the Australian pacer for a whopping INR 24.75 crore. This made him the highest-paid player in IPL history. However, with hefty price tags come the burden of expectations. So far, the talismanic pacer hasn't been able to live up to the expectations as he has conceded 232 runs from 132 balls in six matches, averaging 46.40 and having an economy rate of 10.55.

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The left-arm speedster has bagged only five wickets, three of them coming in KKR's clash against Lucknow Super Giants. However, on Tuesday, April 16, Starc had a pretty ordinary outing as the Royals chased down a 224-run target off the last ball with two wickets to spare. Ian Bishop noted that Starc deviated from his plan to bowl wide yorkers and paid the price in the 18th over as he conceded 18 runs to bring Rajasthan within touching distance of their target.

"I would assume that Mitchell Starc, especially at that price, hasn't really hit the nail on its head. He got three wickets last game but tonight again he would have been hoping to step up. There was this one over, where he was going wide, wide, wide. When you need sixes, I think it's a good plan. Then you talk about backing yourself - of course there was that five wides, and the short ball which he got hooked for when there was nobody at square. Instead of sticking with the wides, he moved back. So yeah, like I said… it's the little things," Bishop said on ESPNcricinfo.

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Starc has gone wicketless in four out of the six matches he has played in IPL 2024. KKR fans will want the the 34-year-old to hit his straps as the tournament is fast approaching the midway stage.