Starc cleared to fly to India and is in line for his Delhi Capitals debut against Rajasthan on May 1
Mitchell Starc has been cleared by Cricket Australia to board a flight to India and, barring a late setback in acclimatisation, Delhi Capitals expect their 11.75 crore rupee signing to make his IPL 2026 debut when they face Rajasthan Royals on May 1 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Starc has not played a competitive match since January 25, when he broke down for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League. A dive for a catch that afternoon left him landing shoulder and elbow first, and the issues that followed have kept him away from both the Ashes build-up and the opening four weeks of the Delhi Capitals season.
A week of pain-free bowling, then the green light
Delhi have been waiting on a medical update from Sydney for most of April. Starc has now completed a full week of pain-free bowling in the nets, and on Thursday the board confirmed he was free to travel. He is expected to land in India on Friday, April 24, join the DC squad almost immediately and build up his workload over the following week.
The plan, as things stand, is for him to slot back in for the trip to Jaipur. Starc has been a matchwinner against Rajasthan before, and with the Capitals leaning on Mukesh Kumar and T Natarajan at the death, the timing of his return matters.
What Starc brings back to a stretched attack
Even in a season where pitches have flattened out and powerplays have turned into shooting galleries, the idea of a left-armer who can swing the new ball, find reverse at the back end and bowl yorkers under pressure remains one of the rarer commodities in the IPL. Delhi paid the price at the auction for exactly those qualities, and after nearly a month of waiting they are now very close to finally seeing them.
Starc himself has already said he is aware the timing of the injury has been tough on his team and on supporters. In a short note released earlier this month he apologised to fans, insisted he was committed to the Delhi project and promised to be ready as soon as his body allowed. On Thursday he took the first real step towards making good on that promise.
If the acclimatisation week goes smoothly, Delhi will have their strike bowler back for the run in, and the race for the top four suddenly has another left-arm variable in it.
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