Top

IPL: Did Starc bowl the ball of the season in the finals?

Hyderabad: The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday crushed the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL finals to lift the trophy for the third time in its history.

Starc delivered a stunner right in the first over to dismiss the in-form Abhishek Sharma and set the momentum for his team. Many fans attribute this delivery as the 'ball of the tournament.'

Mitchell Starc was sold as the most expensive player for a whooping Rs 24.75 crore in the auction, but the Australian bowler initially did not perform at that level. Coming back into form at the right time, Starc picked crucial wickets in the first qualifier and the finals.

The ball that has become the topic of discussion is an out-swinger bowled at 139 km/h. The ball pitching on the middle stump cleared the off stump within no time.

The extraordinary delivery left the in-form Abhishek without an answer giving an initial break-through to the KKR. Starc bowled 3 overs and picked three wickets while conceding just 14 runs in the final.

Matthew Hayden speaking on a TV program 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."

Many fans on social media also opined the same and #Balloftheseason was trending on X. The official handle of KKR also posted a video of the delivery and captioned it the 'ball of the season'.

However, some fans and experts have contradicting opinions, where some think the ball by Bumrah to dismiss Narine is the best in the tourney, while some others feel that the fastest ball in IPL history by Mayank Yadav at 156.7 km/h as the top ball in the season.
Watch:

( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
Next Story