Someday Mitchell Starc will win us games, we are not worried about him: Harshit Rana

Mitchell Starc's returns in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 went from bad to worse as the Australian pacer turned out to be the most expensive bowler in the pulsating encounter between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday, April 21.

Chasing a mammoth target of 223 runs, RCB didn't flinch, as they stayed in the game till the last ball. The RCB batters were aggressive against most of the bowlers in the KKR line-up but they were particularly severe against Starc. The left-arm seamer conceded a whopping 55 runs in his three overs and picked up a solitary wicket. Defending 21 runs in the last over, Starc was hit for three sixes by Karn Sharma before he bounced back to dismiss the southpaw. The visitors needed three runs off the last two balls but they could only manage one with a run out.

After the riveting clash, impressive KKR bowler Harshit Rana backed Starc to come good in the matches to come. He stated that the team has full faith in Starc's abilities.

"It's his own plan. Every bowler takes the field with a plan. He is a top bowler and someday, he will win us games. We are not worried about him. We have full faith in him," Rana, who finished with figures of 2/33 in four overs, said in the post-match press conference.

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The over from Andre Russell was the turning point: Harshit Rana

Andre Russell picked up the wickets of set batters Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar in the 12th over in quick succession. Rana noted that it was the turning point of the match. The Indian seamer said that his team bowled really well in the last five overs.

"The over from Andre Russell was the turning point in the game, where he took two wickets. In the last five overs, our bowlers did exceptionally, did not give away enough runs. That was the phase we played really well," Rana stated.

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Kolkata have five wins and two losses to show for their efforts in IPL 2024. They are placed at No. 2 on the points table. Meanwhile, RCB stayed at the bottom position with seven losses from eight games.