Australia’s senior quick Mitchell Starc says he is on the mend from shoulder and elbow trouble and hopes to be “available for DC asap” once his rehabilitation progresses.
Posting on social media over the weekend, Starc pushed back at what he called “heavily misinformed opinions” surrounding his absence from the early rounds of IPL 2026.
“Despite the opinions and views of certain individuals with their platforms in and through the Indian media, I’m currently rehabbing and managing an injury in my shoulder and elbow of which I didn’t know the extent of during the Australian summer,” he wrote. “These individuals have made some strong statements around involvement in the IPL and provided heavily misinformed opinions of players, preached them as facts, and claim to know my body better than me.”
He added: “With that said I do acknowledge this injury setback and timing is disruptive to the Delhi team and I apologise for that and to the fans for not being available for the early part of this season. I remain committed to join DC, are in continual communication updating the team, and will continue to do what I can to be available for DC asap.”
Delhi Capitals launch their campaign away to Lucknow Super Giants on 1 April. Until Starc flies in, Ricky Ponting’s side will lean on Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi and Dushmantha Chameera for new-ball overs. Starc’s haul last year – 14 wickets in 11 outings – underlined the value that persuaded Delhi to retain him for INR 11.75 crore.
The injury surfaced after a draining home summer. Starc bowled through five demanding Ashes Tests, took Player-of-the-Series honours in a 4-1 win and then turned out for Sydney Sixers on 25 January. He concedes he was unaware of the full damage at the time, an admission that may trigger further debate about managing workloads during stacked seasons.
Cricket Australia’s medical staff are already juggling schedules. Twenty-one Tests lie between August 2026 and July 2027, including four in as many weeks against New Zealand next Christmas. Josh Hazlewood (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad) have also delayed their IPL starts, though both are with their franchises and expected to play before the month is out.
For Delhi, the immediate task is simpler: gather early points while their headline pacer completes his rehab. If Starc’s timeline matches his optimism, Capitals supporters may not have to wait too long.
