Mitchell Starc finally showcased some fire and spark, delivering a match-winning spell against the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League season 2024. Pat Cummins was taken for aplenty against the Challengers and Super Kings but displayed his class with some terrific bowling at the death in a thrilling victory against the Royals. Harshal Patel joined Jasprit Bumrah at the top of the wicket-taking charts with some magic at the backend against the Mumbai Indians and Super Kings, while Rilee Rossouw and Shahrukh Khan produced a couple of cameos to mark their presence in the tournament.

These were some of the highlights from our third feature in a series which tracks the performances of the 10 most expensive players in IPL 2024.

1. Mitchell Starc (24.75 cr – KKR)

Starc had had a shocking IPL this season. He had bagged just 7 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 47.1 and economy of 11.8. He had made no impact in the powerplay and was hammered for runs at the death (economy of 16.8). Just when everyone was writing the left-armer off, Starc showcased why he is widely regarded as one of the greatest white-ball bowlers in history!

Defending just 169, Starc provided the first breakthrough with the new ball when he shattered the leg stump of Ishan Kishan in the second over of the chase. With 46 needed off the last 24 deliveries, he then returned at the death and delivered a terrific 17th over conceding just 3 against one of the most dangerous power-hitters in the format – Tim David. Starc then sealed the match for the Knight Riders bagging three wickets in the penultimate over including the big scalp of David!

Starc hasn’t had the best of seasons but is known to raise his game in the big matches. KKR will hope that his performance against the Mumbai Indians was not merely an aberration but the spark he needed to unleash his lethal best in the tournament.

2. Pat Cummins (20.5 cr – SRH)

Cummins was one of the standout performers for the Sunrisers but had a couple of forgetful outings against the Challengers and Super Kings. He was taken to the cleaners in both the matches and went for 55 and 49 runs in his four overs respectively. However, the SRH skipper made amends with a match-winning spell at the death against the Royals.

Royals were in the box seat with 45 needed off 30 with seven wickets in hand and a rampaging Riyan Parag along with Shimron Hetmyer at the crease. Cummins introduced himself and delivered a match-changing 16th over conceding just three runs while also getting rid of the dangerous Parag. He then saw the back of Dhruv Jurel and bowled three consecutive dot deliveries to Rovman Powell giving away just seven in the penultimate over to further tilt the balance in his team’s favour. SRH went on to register a crucial win (after two defeats) by a solitary run.

Cummins has bagged 12 wickets in 10 matches and though his economy has risen to a tad over 9, he has produced two defining performances with the ball while largely keeping a check on the flow of runs in the middle overs.

3. Daryl Mitchell (14 cr – CSK)

Mitchell has improved his dismal numbers this season with a couple of decent outings against the Sunrisers and Punjab Kings but overall has had a poor campaign with the bat. Mitchell, who was New Zealand’s World Cup hero with the bat last year, has an aggregate of just 229 runs in 10 innings at a rate of 134.7. The problem for Mitchell has been two-fold. He has got starts in a number of matches but has been slow off the blocks with a strike rate of just 128.6 off the first 15 deliveries. Having consumed a large chunk of the deliveries, he has then thrown it away failing to convert his starts into significant scores. Surprisingly, Mitchell has struggled against pace, scoring at a strike rate of 125.6 against the faster bowlers who have accounted for 6 of his 9 dismissals in the tournament.

4. Harshal Patel (11.75 cr – PBKS)

Harshal Patel joined Jasprit Bumrah at the top of the wickets-charts with three high impact performances in his last five outings in the tournament. Harshal was brilliant in the death overs against the Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings bagging seven wickets in just 24 deliveries at an economy of 5 bamboozling the batters with his barrage of slow yorkers.

Harshal’s 17 wickets have come at a strike rate of 13.1 and his propensity to pick wickets in the last four overs of an innings make him a high impact bowler this season.

5. Alzarri Joseph (11.75 cr – RCB)

Alzarri Joseph picked just one solitary wicket while getting smashed at 11.89 per over in the first three fixtures for RCB in the season and has not represented the franchise thereafter. Joseph was roped in as a replacement for Harshal Patel as a specialist in the death overs but has been taken for 47 runs in his 3.4 overs in the phase of play.

6. Spencer Johnson (10 cr – GT)

Australia’s latest left-arm pace sensation, Spencer Johnson, had a fine start to his IPL campaign. He was impressive in the death overs against the Mumbai Indians and quite economical against the Super Kings. However, he saw his form decline thereafter, bagging just one more wicket in three matches.

7. Sameer Rizvi (8.4 cr – CSK)

Sameer Rizvi came in with a big reputation but hasn’t yet showcased his destructive prowess with the bat for CSK this season. Rizvi has scored just 36 runs off 35 deliveries at a strike rate of 102.9 – especially poor batting in the lower-order.

8. Rilee Rossouw (8 cr – PBKS)

A late entrant to the PBKS XI, South Africa’s middle-order star has already produced two cameos in the tournament. After failing in his first couple of outings, Rossouw gave glimpses of his batting prowess with a 16-ball 26 against the Knight Riders. He then smashed 43 off just 23 deliveries, blunting the 163-run chase against the Super Kings in Chennai.

9. Rovman Powell (7.4 cr – RR)

The West Indies T20I skipper also made a late entry in the tournament but has already impressed with a couple of cameos from the lower-order. Powell smashed 26 off 13 against the Knight Riders before his 15-ball 27 against the Sunrisers. The Royals have underutilized Powell and need to push him ahead of Shimron Hetmyer to maximize their run-scoring at the death.

10. Shahrukh Khan (7.4 cr – GT)

After registering four outright failures with the bat, Shahrukh Khan finally showcased his hitting prowess for the Titans smashing five sixes in his 30-ball 58 against the Challengers. He took a liking to their bowling and produced another cameo in the return-leg in Bengaluru hammering 37 off 24 deliveries.

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