Mitchell Starc's arrival adds x-factor to KKR, says mentor Gautam Gambhir

In a history-making move, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc was bought by KKR for a whopping Rs 24.75 crore just hours after his skipper, Pat Cummins, breached the Rs 20 crore mark after being bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), becoming the most expensive player in the history of the IPL at the auction in Dubai on Tuesday.

"He is an X-factor, there is no doubt about that. Someone who can bowl with the new ball, bowl in the death overs, and more importantly, someone who can lead the attack. He is going to be of massive help to our two domestic bowlers because both of them are very talented, and you need someone to help them out in the middle. Starc covers those bases. It is not only about his bowling but also about leading the attack and helping all the guys around him. So, somebody will have to pay for it," said Gambhir to JioCinema.

Gambhir said that the KKR bowling lineup has a lot of depth, and the team can play different combinations as per the venue.

"We have a lot of depth in our bowling lineup. We always wanted to have a stronger bowling attack, and now we have the options with Mujeeb (Ur Rahman), Gus (Atkinson), Sunil (Narine), Varun (Chakravarthy), and Mitchell Starc along with two Indian seamers and Chetan Sakariya. Now, we have enough options where we can play different combinations looking at the venue as well. For me, it has always been about having a strong bowling lineup compared to a very strong batting lineup," said Gambhir.

On his return to KKR, Gambhir said that the team is "an emotion" for him.

"The reason is the amount of love that I have received from the people of Kolkata for seven years that I led them, and hopefully, I led them with a lot of honesty. Hopefully, we can recreate the same memories that we did in 2012 and 2014. There is no guarantee that we will go out and win, but there is one guarantee for sure, that we will fight till the last drop of our blood," he concluded. (ANI)