IPL 2019: Kolkata Knight Riders give reasons for the release of Mitchell Starc
Starc was one of the of the most expensive buys in the annual bidding war for the 2018 season but he missed the event after a stress fracture in his lower right leg.
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders have clarified why they opted to release Australia fast-bowler Mitchell Starc ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, which is scheduled to take place next month.
The left-armer was one of the of the most expensive buys in the annual bidding war for the 2018 season but he missed the event after a stress fracture in his lower right leg.
“I got a text message two days ago from the owners of Kolkata saying I’ve been released from my contract,” Starc told reporters in Sydney. “At the moment I’ll be home in April.”
KKR put out the list of retained players on Thursday and apart from Starc, big names like Mitchell Johnson and Tom Curran were also released by the two-time champions.
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KKR CEO Venky Mysore has finally revealed why the team management opted to part ways with the star Australian pacer. Speaking to KKR’s website Mysore said: “”It has been picked up out of context, because we have had a great relationship. Even when we picked him last year, not only was he over the moon, but he was also appreciative towards the confidence we had shown in him.”
“He was extremely disappointed he couldn’t come here for last year’s IPL, and to be frank, so were we. It left a big hole in our line-up. This time, when we had an exchange of messages, he was appreciative of where we were coming from,” he added.
Mysore also said that going into the auction, all the eight franchisees will keep in mind the fact that Australian and English players won’t be available for the entire length of the tournament.
“The auctions this year will depend heavily on the availability of the players, especially given that the World Cup is coming up. The Australian board has apparently said that their players appearing in the IPL and the ones appearing in the World Cup has to return no later than May 1. The English board has apparently got a similar clause, so that will be an important consideration.”
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