Kolkata name Starc's IPL replacement

Kolkata Knight Riders have named England fast bowler Tom Curran as Mitchell Starc's replacement for the upcoming Indian Premier League campaign, the Board for Control of Cricket in India announced Monday.

Starc will not link up with fellow Australians Chris Lynn and Mitchell Johnson at Kolkata in the lucrative T20 league that begins this weekend due to a tibial bone stress reaction in his right leg.

The left-armer, one of the most damaging white-ball bowlers in the world on his day, had been bought for A$1.8 million in January's auction but became the third Australian to be ruled out of the tournament in as many days.

The BCCI banned Steve Smith and David Warner, who had been set to captain the Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively, from playing in the IPL due to their involvement in the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.

Curran made a memorable Test debut on England's recent Ashes tour, cruelly denied his maiden wicket having bowled a no-ball with Warner on 99 at the MCG, and impressed in the tourists' subsequent Gilette one-day international series win over Australia.

The right-armer collected his first international five-wicket haul in the final ODI in Perth to seal the 4-1 series victory in January.

"I’m thrilled and excited to be joining Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL," Curran told his county side Surrey's official website.

"I know from chatting to other players I can learn a lot from being in that environment, skills that I hope will benefit Surrey and my chances of representing England again this year and if selected, for next year’s World Cup."

While Starc is one the deadliest Twenty20 bowlers in the world, he has not played in the IPL since 2015 when he lined up for Royal Challengers Bangalore alongside elite batsmen Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

In fact, Starc has played just three T20s since the end of the 2015 IPL: one match against England in August 2015 and two matches against Sri Lanka 13 months later.

Speaking before Curran's call-up, Knight Riders chief executive Venky Mysore suggested another Australian left-armer in Johnson would help to fill the Starc void.

"Johnson's played a lot at the IPL and won two championships (with Mumbai Indians)," said Mysore.

"He's an outstanding bowler – you saw how he bowled at the Big Bash.

"He's still fit, still bowling 145-plus and is an experienced campaigner … at least in the initial stage we won't miss Starc."

Rajasthan, back in the IPL having served a two-year match-fixing suspension, have replaced Smith with hard-hitting South African Heinrich Klaasen while England opener Alex Hales has taken Warner's spot at Hyderabad.

Lynn meanwhile has touched down in India and is hopeful of recovering in time for KKR's opening match this Sunday (early Monday morning AEST) against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The explosive right-hander's history of shoulder problems has led to the Queenslander practicing in the nets with a specially-designed shoulder stabiliser that rugby league star Johnathan Thurston has given him.

"The docs and the physios are happy so that's all I can do," Lynn told cricket.com.au recently 

"Fingers crossed I can keep going in the right direction … I'm doing everything I can to get back out there."