“Starcy caught his finger in one of his studs in the last game,” KKR fielding coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed in the post-match presentation. “It’s abrased on his bowling finger, he’s obviously releasing from that finger and we just thought with that and Dushy [Chameera] being pretty fresh and ready to go that we give Dushy a game and give Starcy a chance to sort his finger out.
“But as far as I know, he is very close to being back, which will either be the next game or the game after that.”
Coming into the season, having been bought at the auction for a record sum of INR 24.75 crore (USD 2.98 million approx.), Starc has had a forgettable campaign so far with KKR. He has managed just six wickets while conceding runs at 11.48 per over.
That was the third time this season that Starc has gone for 50 runs or more in a game – and the second match in a row.
Starc is playing the IPL this year after a gap of eight years. He last played in 2015 for RCB, when he took 20 wickets at an economy of 6.76.
Starc was interviewed at the ground on Friday ahead of the game against Kings, but he did not mention anything about his finger niggle. He spoke of coming back to the IPL after the long break, and what he’s learning from the experience. “Yeah coming back, obviously a different team to where I was last in the IPL, so getting to meet a lot of the guys I have played against a little bit… Some younger guys in the KKR squad, getting to know a few of the younger bowlers,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent around with bat and ball.
“[I’m] getting to know how these guys go about it and learn from them as well, and try and answer any questions they’ve got. I’ve come back an older player than when I was last in the IPL, but it’s a lot of fun.”
For Chameera, this will be his first appearance of the season. It’s his second proper go at the IPL: he was part of RCB in 2021 but didn’t get a game, and played 12 games for Lucknow Super Giants in 2022.