Starc heading to Delhi after being cleared for IPL return – ExBulletin
Left-armer denied permission by Cricket Australia to suit up for Delhi Capitals after elbow and shoulder injuries
Mitchell Starc has been cleared by Cricket Australia to resume playing and will head to India for a late partnership with Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.
Starc has been sidelined with elbow and shoulder injuries suffered during the Australian summer, when he played all five Tests in a player-of-the-series performance in the 4-1 Ashes win, before playing five matches for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash.
Starc is expected to build up his workload on the ground in India and is on course to make his debut for the 2026 season in Delhi's May 1 match against Rajasthan Royals.
He would then be available for the Capitals' remaining regular season games and any subsequent finals campaigns.
Delhi currently have a record of 3-3 and sit fifth – the position where they finished last season – with South Africa's Lungi Ngidi their leading wicket-taker with seven wickets in six matches.
Starc's return comes almost a month after he posted on social media that he hoped to arrive "as soon as possible" amid "strongly misinformed opinions" about his absence from the tournament.
"Despite the opinions and views of certain individuals with their platforms in and through the Indian media, I am currently rehabilitating and managing an injury to my shoulder and elbow the extent of which I was unaware of during the Australian summer," Starc wrote on Instagram.
"These individuals have made some strong statements about their involvement in the IPL and given very uninformed opinions of players, preaching them as facts and claiming to know my body better than I do.
"That said, I recognize that this injury setback and its timing are disruptive to the Delhi team and I apologize for that and to the fans for my unavailability at the start of this season. I remain committed to joining DC, am in constant communication with the team to update the squad and will continue to do what I can to be available to DC as soon as possible."
The return of Starc, who was retained by Delhi for A$2 million (INR 11.75 crore) this season, comes as fellow Australian quick Pat Cummins prepares to play his first match of the IPL season for Sunrisers Hyderabad this weekend.
Cummins has played one match of professional cricket since last July – the Adelaide Ashes Test – while battling back problems.
The latest scans of Cummins' back from a week ago showed he was cleared to resume without any bowling restrictions and he will return on Saturday night, including against Rajasthan.
Hazlewood has also returned to action in the IPL after missing the Ashes with hamstring and Achilles injuries.
The fast bowling trio's return to fitness is a boon for Australia as they have 20 Tests to complete in a 12-month period and the opportunity to play another World Test Championship final.
Australia's next international engagement will be a three-match ODI tour of Pakistan, which is expected to overlap the closing stages of the IPL before three ODIs and three T20s in Bangladesh in June, before the Test match series begins against the same opposition in Darwin and Mackay in August.
Chennai Super Kings: Matt Short ($255k), Spencer Johnson ($255k, replaces Nathan Ellis ($340k))
Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis ($1.9m), Ben Dwarshuis ($745k), Mitchell Owen ($510k), Cooper Connolly ($510k), Xavier Bartlett ($136k)
Kolkata Knight Riders: Cameron Green ($3.5 million)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins ($3.5M), Travis Head ($2.38M), Jack Edwards ($510k, withdrawn)
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