Starc's Knight Riders win last ball classic in IPL

Mitchell Starc's challenging return to the Indian Premier League has continued however when it mattered the A$4.43 million-dollar man held his nerve and avoided a horror defeat.

Starc had gone for 54 runs from 16 balls at Eden Gardens, thrashed to all parts by the IPL's bottom team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Needing 21 off the final over RCB's No.9 batter Karn Sharma looked to have won the game for his team hitting three of Starc's first four balls for six. 

But off his fifth ball Starc took a brilliant return catch, bending his 1.97m frame low to clutch Sharma's drive.

With three runs required off the final ball, new batter Lockie Ferguson could only squeeze Starc's yorker out to deep point, where after completing one run he was run out attempting the second as a sprawling Phil Salt took the bails. Kolkata Knight Riders survived to win by one run.

That put KKR back to second in the table, and Starc's escape act could be just what the 34-year-old needs to turn his campaign around. The left-armer has now been hit for 287 runs off 25 overs in his seven matches, an economy rate of 11.48, picking up six wickets. 

One silver lining for KKR is that even though Starc is yet to find his best form, they have still been winning and find themselves in second place on the table. 

KKR had made 6-222, Shreyas Iyer (50 off 36 balls), building on Salt's explosive 14-ball 48. Cam Green took 2-35 in his four overs, including Iyer's wicket.

Bowling the second over of RCB's innings Starc began with a wide, then saw his third legal ball disappear over wide long-on, whacked there by Virat Kohli. His opening over went for 14.

Starc returned to bowl the fifth, with RCB 2-52 and both openers dismissed, Kohli controversially given out caught-and-bowled off a waist-high full toss. 

Will Jacks pulled his first ball over mid-wicket for six then, with Starc coming round the wicket, whipped him deep into the crowd for a 97m six. After two dot balls Jacks drove a 146.6kph ball into the stands over extra cover, then took four more off his legs to make it 22 off the over.

Starc retreated into the outfield and his team's chances appeared to be receding with him when RCB reached 2-137 after 11 overs. 

But Andre Russell and Sunil Narine took four wickets in the next 12 balls. Among them Jacks was caught on the long-on boundary off Russell for a 32-ball 55 and Green (6) caught on the fence off Narine trying to repeat the six he hoisted off the spinner the previous ball.

Russell returned to dismiss Dinesh Karthik (25 off 18) and Starc just about closed the match out.

In the second IPL game overnight, left-arm spinner Sai Kishore took 4-33 to help Gujarat Titans beat Punjab Kings by three wickets with five balls remaining at Mullanpur.

No Australians featured in the match though Adelaide Strikers' Rashid Khan played a key role. The Afghanistan legspinner took 1-15 in four overs as Punjab were dismissed for 142 in 20 overs after Gujarat lost the toss.

IPL 2024 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 Rajasthan Royals RAJ	10	8	2	0	0	0.622	0	16
2 Kolkata Knight Riders KKR	9	6	3	0	0	1.096	0	12
3 Lucknow Super Giants LSG	10	6	4	0	0	0.094	0	12
4 Sunrisers Hyderabad SUN	10	6	4	0	0	0.072	0	12
5 Chennai Super Kings CSK	10	5	5	0	0	0.627	0	10
6 Delhi Capitals Men DEL	11	5	6	0	0	-0.442	0	10
7 Punjab Kings KXI	10	4	6	0	0	-0.062	0	8
8 Gujarat Titans GUT	10	4	6	0	0	-1.113	0	8
9 Mumbai Indians MI	10	3	7	0	0	-0.272	0	6
10 Royal Challengers Bengaluru Men RCB	10	3	7	0	0	-0.415	0	6

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points

Australians in IPL 2024

Delhi Capitals: Mitch Marsh (A$1.2m), David Warner (A$1.16m), Jhye Richardson (A$890,000), Jake Fraser-McGurk (A$92,000)

Gujarat Titans: Spencer Johnson (A$1.78m), Matthew Wade (A$446,000)

Kolkata Knight Riders: Mitchell Starc (A$4.43m)

Lucknow Super Giants: Marcus Stoinis (A$1.7m), Ashton Turner (A$178,000)

Mumbai Indians: Tim David (A$1.53m)

Punjab Kings: Nathan Ellis (A$135,000)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Cameron Green (A$3.15m), Glenn Maxwell (A$2m)

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (A$3.67m), Travis Head (A$1.2m)

*Prices in AUD, conversions correct at time of auction