Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Mitchell Starc recently shared his thoughts on the Impact Player rule in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Mitchell Starc emphasized that after the impact player rule was introduced, batters were no longer afraid, which contributed to top-class performances.
The impact player rule introduced in the IPL tournament last year has resulted in a more aggressive batting style this season. The teams have frequently crossed the 200-run mark in the ongoing marquee tournament. In IPL 2024, there were eight instances with a total of more than 250 runs.
Mitchell Starc, the most expensive pick in IPL history at Rs 24.75 crore, struggled with the ball in this year’s tournament. The left-arm pacer had taken just seven wickets before facing Mumbai Indians (MI). However, the pacer managed to take four wickets against MI in Mumbai on Friday, May 3.
The Impact Player Rule Changes Things Significantly – Mitchell Starc
At the post-game press conference, Mitchell Starc noted that the Impact Player rule changes team strategies. Starc suggested the rule contributes to higher scores with deeper batting lineups.
“The impact player rule changes things significantly. Everyone can bat much deeper as they have a batting and a bowling starter. A lot of attention was paid to this rule throughout the tournament and there were a lot of high scores, which is the nature of the tournament, the wickets and the pitches we play on here,” Starc said.
“There’s no fear on the power play when all you have to do is clear the infield and score runs. Certainly there were some really good shots, don’t get me wrong, it’s not just the rules that matter. “There were some fantastic goals, some fantastic partnerships and some individual brilliance with the bat.” Starc added.
The Australian fast bowler started his season with a boundary and a six against Ishan Kishan. Nevertheless, Starc recovered by dismissing Kishan. He took three wickets in the 19th over. He picked up the wickets of Tim David, Piyush Chawla and Gerald Coetzee to bowl out the opponents for 145 runs.
I haven’t changed all that much – Mitchell Starc
The 34-year-old bowler mentioned that he hasn’t changed his approach much. Starc stressed the importance of assessing conditions after the first innings. Starc stated that he adjusted his length after receiving feedback from batsmen who struggled during the first innings.
“I haven’t changed too much. It’s about judging.” Conditions after the first innings. We definitely talked about it and the batters who came through in the first innings mentioned the wicket and the lengths being the hardest to take.” Starc explained further.
The Kolkata-based team retained their second position in the points table after a 24-run win against Mumbai Indians. They won seven games and lost three in the tournament. Their next match will be against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday, May 5 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
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