[Watch] Rinku Singh smashes Mitchell Starc for a massive six in KKR's pre-IPL 2024 practice match

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)'s Rinku Singh and Mitchell Starc had a nice battle in the team's second intra-squad practice match at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday, March 19.

Starc troubled Rinku a few times with pacy length balls and was unlucky when the left-handed batter was dropped at deep third man. But when the Australian missed his length on the first ball of the final over of the first innings, Rinku smashed him for a massive six over deep mid-wicket to set the tone for a big finish.

Watch the shot here:

The match was played between Starc's Team Purple and Team Gold, which included the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, and Phil Salt.

Starc struck early in the innings to get Rahmanullah Gurbaz out and troubled youngster Angriksh Raghuvanshi as well but thanks to a 20-run last over, ended with figures of 1/40. Rinku, meanwhile, scored a brilliant 39 (25).

New signing Salt, who replaced Jason Roy in the team, scored 52 (37), Angkrish Raghuvanshi impressed with 36 (27) and Varun Chakravarthy also took 2/23.

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"Starc is an X-factor" - Gautam Gambhir

Starc has returned to the IPL after almost a decade with a price tag of ₹24.75 crore, which is likely to bring pressure and attention to his performances.

However, former captain Gautam Gambhir, who has returned to the side as a mentor, recently backed him as the team's "X-factor" for the season.

"I had already said on the auction table that he [Starc] is an X-factor and I am sure he is going to deliver. And there's no such pressure of a price tag. I hope that what he has done in international cricket, he can do the same for KKR," Gambhir told reporters on Thursday.

KKR will begin their 2024 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, March 23.