Delhi Capitals pacer Mitchell Starc has finally broken his silence on his absence just before the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off on Saturday. Starc took to Instagram to take issue with media narratives surrounding his absence from the Delhi Capitals camp. The 35-year-old left-arm pacer has revealed that he is currently undergoing rehabilitation for a shoulder injury that was most likely sustained during the Big Bash League.
“Despite the views and opinions of certain individuals with their platforms in and through the Indian media, I am currently rehabilitating and managing shoulder and elbow injuries the extent of which I was unaware of during the Australian summer,” Starc wrote on his Instagram story.
“These individuals have made some strong statements about their involvement in the IPL and have given heavily misinformed opinions of players, preaching them as fact and claiming to know my body better than I do,” Starc added.
One of the world’s deadliest fast bowlers, Starc made his IPL debut in 2014 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and played until 2015. He then focused on national team commitments before returning to the world’s richest league franchise in 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
With 17 wickets in 14 matches, Starc played a key role in KKR’s run to the IPL 2024 title before being released by the three-time champions. He was lured by Delhi Capitals in 2025 and scored 14 goals in 11 matches.
When will Mitchell Starc return to Delhi Capitals?
Although he apologized to fans and stakeholders for his unavailability in the early part of IPL 2026, Starc reiterated that he is committed to the franchise and is in constant touch with it. However, he remained non-committal on the day of his entry.
“With that being said, I accept that this setback and the timing of the injury is disruptive to the Delhi team and I apologize for that and to the fans that I will not be available for the start of this season,” Starc said. “I remain committed to joining DC, I am constantly communicating and updating the team and will continue to do my best to be available to DC as soon as possible,” he concluded.
However, Starc’s absence will not be a problem for Delhi Capitals with the likes of Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi, Dushmantha Chameera and the highly-rated Auqib Dar filling the void. Delhi Capitals will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1.
