Mitchell Starc ruled out of IPL 2018
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of both the fourth Test against South Africa and the 2018 Indian Premier League. Cricket Australia confirmed the news, as Starc's bad luck continues in the IPL. Starc suffered a tibial bone stress fracture in his right leg and will fly home after the series for further assessment. This comes as a big blow to KKR.
Starc's injury breaks fans' hearts
Mitchell Starc was bought by KKR for a whopping Rs. 9.40 crore in the IPL 2018 auction. One of the most feared bowlers in world cricket, Starc's injury comes as a deafening blow to the franchise, which have a relatively thin squad on paper. Starc was supposed to lead the bowling attack and now the side will need to find an able replacement.
Starc's bad luck continues
Starc last played in the IPL in 2015 when he represented RCB under Virat Kohli. He will be missing the tourney for a third season in a row. He suffered a foot fracture in 2016 before ending his association with RCB in 2017.
Starc's injury a gruesome factor
The pacer has been sidelined due to injuries quite often in recent past. In fact, Starc has played just three T20Is since 2015 IPL. Meanwhile, this is also the third Test series in a row where Starc has missed at least one Test including the 2017-18 Ashes. The bowler has been suffering regular foot injuries and luck has not been in his favour.
Another Aussie blow to IPL 11
Starc is the latest Aussie to join the list of injured players alongside fellow pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile (RCB) and Jason Behrendorff (MI). Besides these three players, David Warner and Steve Smith are also out after being banned by BCCI following their role in ball-tampering incident.
