'It was unplayable' - Gautam Gambhir sheds light on Mitchell Starc's 'ball of the tournament'

Kolkata Knight Riders became the champions of the Indian Premier League 2024 outclassing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Final on May 26. Mitchell Starc carried the onslaught in both Qualifier 1 and the Final against the same team, bagging the Player of the Match in consecutive games. But all was not well for Starc as he was expensive and looked out of touch in the league stage. His delivery to dismiss Abhishek Sharma in the Final was termed as the Ball of the Tournament. 

Starc delivered a fuller length delivery to the southpaw that angled in and deviated after pitching to dismantle the top of the off stump. Commentators exclaimed it to be the best ball of IPL 2024 and viewers agreed. KKR’s mentor Gautam Gambhir credited the Aussie for standing up during the decisive stage of the tournament.

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"We always knew he was the X-Factor and he will become one at the right time. I mean, what other big matches could be there in the IPL? It was the Qualifier 1 and the Final. That is why I say that the big players wait for such occasions, they thrive on these occasions. Money is irrelevant. What Starc brings to the team was more important," Gambhir said as quoted by NDTV Sports.

"You expect a bowler of this quality to bowl this kind of a delivery. When you bring these kinds of players, they step up when you need them the most. KKR needed Mitchell Starc in the Qualifier 1 and the Final, and he put his hand up and he delivered. I don't know whether I should say that was an unplayable delivery or not, because we were taught that no delivery is unplayable, but it was certainly very close to unplayable," he added.

BCCI mulls Gambhir’s potential appointment as new head coach

Meanwhile, Gambhir has been dominating the headlines as his mentorship is being lauded after KKR’s third title win. As the Indian Team is on the lookout for a new head coach, his name is being pushed as the successor of Rahul Dravid. However, there has been no official word put out from either side as the focus remains on the T20 World Cup commencing on June 2.