Australian pace bowler and a competitive cricketer, Mitchell Starc will be missed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The cricketer was picked by KKR for a whopping Rs 9.4 crores at this year's auction will miss the IPL 2018 due to a right leg injury.

With Mitchell Starc ruled out of the IPL 2018 tournament, he becomes the third Australian cricketer to be out of this year’s tournament. Earlier this week, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) barred Steve Smith and David Warner for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal.

Captain Tim Paine said at the toss on Friday that Starc had been "battling some injuries throughout the tour" and had been rested from the final Test. Starc had been signed by Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL, which starts on April 7.

The Australian left-arm pacer will be missing the tournament for the third year in a row. Last year, Mitchell Starc ended his association with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to focus on international cricket, while in 2016, a foot fracture kept him out of the tournament.

In 27 IPL matches, Mitchell Starc has 34 wickets at an economy rate of 7.17. Sans the 28-year-old fast bowler, KKR will now depend more on compatriot Mitchell Johnson. Two-time champions KKR open their IPL 2018 campaign against RCB on April 8.