Mitchell Starc’s fiery comeback spell (Image: IPL/BCCI) Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel heaped praise on Mitchell Starc after the left-arm pacer took three wickets in his first game of IPL 2026 as Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets. Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc made his return to professional cricket after almost three months after recovering from shoulder and elbow injuries and got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal in his very first over to put Rajasthan Royals on the back foot. Then, later in the match in the 17th over, the brilliant Australian left-hander also dismissed Ravindra Jadeja and Riyan Parag. He ended up with figures of 3/40.After the conference win, captain Axar Patel called him a legend of the game after the match,”Of course. The way he bowled today is therefore a legend of the game. After three months, when you come back and perform like that for goals like that – that tells you how big a player he is. I am very happy that Starc is back and he is showing everyone why he is such a great bowler,” Axar said about Starc.
Delhi outclassed Rajasthan
KL Rahul led a dominant run chase as Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium as they successfully made 226 with five balls to spare.Rahul anchored the innings with a composed ball 75 off 40, while Pathum Nissanka set the tone early with a brisk 62 off 33. The pair put Delhi firmly in control thanks to an opening stand of 110 runs. Contributions from Nitish Rana (33 off 17) and an unbeatable target stand between Ashutosh Sharma and Tristan Stubbs ensured a smooth chase.Earlier, Riyan Parag played for Rajasthan with a brilliant 90 off 50 as they slumped to 12/2. He shared a crucial partnership of 102 runs with Dhruv Jurel (42) and helped Royals post 225/6. However, on a batting-friendly pitch, their total proved insufficient as Delhi completed their second successful chase of 225+ at the venue during the week.
