He has taken 14 wickets in 12 matches so far.
Mitchell Starc, the star Australian pacer playing for Delhi Capitals (DC), is unlikely to return for the rest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He was seen arriving in Sydney with his wife Alyssa Healy on Sunday. According to Australian media, Starc’s manager has said the 35-year-old may not head to India anytime soon.
Starc is one of several Australian players who returned home after the tournament was suspended due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan.
Josh Hazlewood from Royal Challengers Bengaluru is also doubtful due to injury. Moreover, the World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa is set for June 11. More Australian players could miss the remaining IPL matches.
Although the BCCI has now asked teams to report by May 13 and the IPL is expected to resume from May 16, DC may have to continue without Starc.
As per some reports, the abandoned match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala might be played again. But IPL is yet to confirm the same. Delhi Capitals are still in the race for the playoffs. They are currently in fifth place on the points table with 13 points from 11 matches. So, when the IPL starts again, their remaining three matches will be important for qualification.
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Mitchell Starc, who was bought for INR 11.75 crore, has taken 14 wickets in 12 matches so far. He started the season well for Delhi Capitals by taking three wickets in the first match and five in the second. But after that, he took only six more wickets. His economy rate has been over 10.
This was also the case in his last season with the Kolkata Knight Riders. He gave away a lot of runs in the early matches, but played well in the important playoff games. That is why Delhi Capitals will be hoping that he returns to India for the remaining matches.
If Mitchell Starc is not available for the rest of the season, Delhi Capitals will need to adjust their playing eleven, as he was an important player for them. They have Dushmantha Chameera as an overseas fast bowler. He has been playing in the last few matches, so he will likely continue.
Apart from him, they will need to rely on Indian pacers. T Natarajan, who played his first match of the season against Punjab Kings before it got abandoned, could get more chances. Mukesh Kumar might also return to the team. However, replacing Starc will not be easy for Delhi.
DC Predicted XI without Mitchell Starc
Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel (w), KL Rahul, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Madhav Tiwari, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar.
Impact Player: Ashutosh Sharma.
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