Mitchell Starc has rediscovered his stump-rattling best to lift his Kolkata Knight Riders to a third Indian Premier League title on the eve of Australia's Twenty20 World Cup campaign.
It was a final of contrasting fortunes for Australians, Starc named man of the match for his 2-14 from three overs in an eight-wicket defeat of the Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai.
Cummins' Test and IPL teammate Travis Head was dismissed for a first-ball duck, his side bowled out for just 113 - a record for an IPL final - and the Knight Riders winning with 57 balls to spare.
Kolkata have previously won the IPL titles in 2012 and 2014 and dominated this season by finishing on top at the end-of-league stage.
One of the tournament's most run-expensive bowlers earlier in the campaign, the 34-year-old Starc lived up to his record $4.42 million price tag with devastating spells in his team's final two games ahead of next month's World Cup in West Indies and the United States
Starc's ball in the first over to dismiss Head's opening partner Abhishek Sharma angled in then swung away, beating the left-hander to knock back his off stump.
Andre Russell (3-19) mopped up the lower order and Hyderabad were in danger of not even making 100 before Cummins hit 24 off 19 balls and was the last man dismissed in the penultimate over.
Ventakesh Iyer (52 off 26) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (39 off 32) got Kolkata home with almost half their overs to spare.
"I thought they bowled fantastically," Cummins said.
"Unfortunately my old mate Starcy turned it on again.
"We were totally outplayed; they didn't give us anything."
Head had dominated the regular season but finished with three ducks in his last four innings.
Starc admitted he had copped some light-hearted barbs about his early-tournament form.
"There have been plenty of jokes. A lot has been made of the money," he said Starc.
"I am older and more experienced now, so that has helped with managing the expectations and leading the attack.
"We have got an exciting bowling attack ... it's been a lot of fun, it's been great to learn and see how these guys go about it. But full credit to the whole players and staff, it's made my life pretty easy."
The Australian trio will return home before joining Australia's World Cup squad in Barbados later this week, ahead of their first match on June 5 against Oman.
With AP
