KKR sign Tom Curran for injured Starc

Kolkata Knight Riders have drafted in England and Surrey pacer Tom Curran as replacement for Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc in IPL 2018. Starc was ruled out of the 11th edition with a 'tibial bone stress' in his right leg. He was also ruled out of the ongoing fourth Test between Australia and South Africa at the Wanderers.

"Curran was picked for INR 1.62 crore from the Registered and Available Player Pool (RAPP) list," a BCCI media release stated on Monday (April 2).

Curran, who made his T20 debut for Surrey versus Sussex in Hove in 2014, has been a fine performer in the shorter formats of the game. He has taken 53 scalps in 51 T20 games at an average of just over 27. In 2017, he shone brightly in the NatWest T20 Blast, snaring 12 scalps at 23.41. He took his career-best T20 figures of 4 for 35 against Essex during the 2015 T20 Blast. The Surrey pacer has also bagged 90 scalps in 60 List A games.

Curran, son of former Zimbabwe all-rounder Kevin, made his T20I debut for England against South Africa in Taunton last year and picked up a three-wicket haul. One of his better performances in his short international career came in the Perth ODI this year, when he bagged a five-fer to help England overcome Australia by 12 runs. He again showcased his ability to bowl in the slog overs in the T20I against New Zealand in Hamilton last month to help his side win by just two runs. He has snared seven scalps at an average of 27.85 in six T20Is so far. Curran is also a useful batsman lower down the order, evidenced by his average of 19.05 and a strike rate of 128.36 in the shortest version of the game.