NEW DELHI: Former Australian batsman
Matthew Hayden
has praised
Mitchell Starc
's exceptional away-swinger to
Abhishek Sharma
in the IPL final, calling it the "ball of the IPL." He also commended Sunil Narine as the "best player" for the victorious Kolkata Knight Riders, who secured their third IPL title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets on Sunday.
Hayden, speaking to Star Sports Cricket live, said, "The moment that ball bowled to Abhishek Sharma came out of Mitchell Starc's hands, it was game over. It was destined to be the best ball of the IPL, an absolute peach at a time when it was so important. We all talked about how crucial the power play would be for winning this IPL final and this tournament. And after that ball from Mitchell Starc, it just meant that KKR were on a roll."
Starc, who was acquired by KKR for a record-breaking Rs 24.74 cr, faced criticism throughout the tournament. However, the experienced Aussie bowler proved his worth in the Playoffs, picking up five of his 17 wickets in the two playoff games against Hyderabad, earning him the man of the match accolade for both games.
Former England skipper
Kevin Pietersen
highlighted Starc's improved performance in the latter stages of the tournament, stating, "Mitchell Starc was averaging around 136-137 kmph during the majority of the season. But in the last two weeks, he has gone above 140 kmph, and that is his average. He is bowling fast. We never saw him swing the ball for the first seven, maybe even eight, weeks of this tournament. In the last few weeks, he has got his wrist in a good place and started to swing the ball back."
Former Indian international Ambati Rayudu credited KKR's success to captain Shreyas Iyer's leadership, the coaching staff, and the team's domestic talent.
Rayudu emphasized the importance of collective contributions from multiple batsmen, rather than relying on a single player's high run tally, saying, "That is exactly how teams win the IPL. We have seen this over the years; it is not the orange cap that wins you the IPL, but it is the contributions from 4-5 batters with 300-400 runs each - that is what gets you to the finals."
(Inputs from PTI)
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