The 31-year-old played every IPL match, took 18 wickets and guided Sunrisers Hyderabad to the final, leaving the fast bowler feeling extremely assured with how his short-form game is placed.
Starc's stunning return to form in the IPL burnishes his record in big matches and comes days before the T20 World Cup starts in the United States and the Caribbean.
"My mom is watching from home," said Afghanistan's Gurbaz, who left the tournament midway through to be with his ailing mother back home and returned for the play-offs.
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc returned figures of 2-14 to help Kolkata Knight Riders thrash Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets to clinch their third IPL title in the Sunday final.
Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs on Friday to set up an IPL final against Kolkata Knight Riders, as spinner Shahbaz Ahmed starred with three wickets.
Kohli, 35, has led the Twenty20 tournament's batting charts with 741 runs, including a century and five fifties, but failed to inspire his team to the finish in a roller-coaster season.
"I've seen a lot of reports about it,” Ponting told the ICC. “Normally these things pop up on social media before you even know about them, but there were a few little one-on-one conversations during the IPL, just to get a level of interest from me as to whether I would do it," said Ponting.
Bengaluru and Kohli extend their wait for a first IPL title. Rajasthan will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last play-off on Friday to decide Kokata Knight Riders' opponent in the final on May 26.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz left his hospitalised mother's bedside in Afghanistan to play a pivotal role in propelling Kolkata Knight Riders into the final on his first IPL appearance this season.
The 31-year-old played every IPL match, took 18 wickets and guided Sunrisers Hyderabad to the final, leaving the fast bowler feeling extremely assured with how his short-form game is placed.
Starc's stunning return to form in the IPL burnishes his record in big matches and comes days before the T20 World Cup starts in the United States and the Caribbean.
"My mom is watching from home," said Afghanistan's Gurbaz, who left the tournament midway through to be with his ailing mother back home and returned for the play-offs.
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc returned figures of 2-14 to help Kolkata Knight Riders thrash Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets to clinch their third IPL title in the Sunday final.
Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 36 runs on Friday to set up an IPL final against Kolkata Knight Riders, as spinner Shahbaz Ahmed starred with three wickets.
Kohli, 35, has led the Twenty20 tournament's batting charts with 741 runs, including a century and five fifties, but failed to inspire his team to the finish in a roller-coaster season.
"I've seen a lot of reports about it,” Ponting told the ICC. “Normally these things pop up on social media before you even know about them, but there were a few little one-on-one conversations during the IPL, just to get a level of interest from me as to whether I would do it," said Ponting.
Bengaluru and Kohli extend their wait for a first IPL title. Rajasthan will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last play-off on Friday to decide Kokata Knight Riders' opponent in the final on May 26.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz left his hospitalised mother's bedside in Afghanistan to play a pivotal role in propelling Kolkata Knight Riders into the final on his first IPL appearance this season.
Two-time champions Kolkata bowled out Hyderabad for 159 as Starc returned figures of 3-34 in the first play-off -- qualifier 1 -- at the world's biggest cricket stadium.