Mitchell Starc has been cleared by Cricket Australia to take part in the Indian Premier League, with the left-arm fast bowler expected to be available for Delhi Capitals\u2019 contest against Rajasthan Royals on May 1. Starc has been out of action since January, nursing elbow and shoulder concerns, but the latest update suggests he can now progress his return in time for the Capitals\u2019 early-season fixture.<\/p>\n
The 36-year-old\u2019s injury layoff came after an unusually busy spell for Australia. He played a pivotal part in all five Ashes Tests and was named Player of the Series for his performances. Later that month, Starc returned to domestic T20 cricket with the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League, featuring in five matches before the shoulder and elbow issues ruled him out of IPL action for much of the opening phase.<\/p>\n
With his body now expected to be managed through a proper preparation phase in India, Starc\u2019s pathway back has been mapped around building his workload on the ground. He is considered on track to make his IPL debut for the 2026 campaign for Delhi in the May 1 meeting with Rajasthan, a timeline that has been closely watched given the chatter that surrounded overseas players and their IPL commitments.<\/p>\n
That debate intensified once Starc himself stepped in to address the speculation. He posted on Instagram to clarify that, despite public opinions, he was still in rehabilitation and had been dealing with an injury whose full impact he only understood later. \u201cStarc is expected to build up his workloads on the ground in India and is on track to make his debut for the 2026 season in Delhi\u2019s May 1 match against Rajasthan Royals,\u201d Cricket.com.au had reported, and Starc\u2019s own message directly responded to the noise that had followed his delayed appearance.<\/p>\n
In his post, Starc said he was \u201ccurrently rehabbing and managing an injury in my shoulder and elbow\u201d and that he had not known the extent of the problem during the Australian summer. He added that comments circulating through Indian media had been based on misunderstandings, insisting that the claims being made about his involvement were far from accurate. \u201cThese individuals have made some strong statements around involvement in the IPL and provided heavily misinformed opinions of players, preached them as facts, and claim to know my body better than me,\u201d the post read.<\/p>\n
Starc\u2019s delayed start matters for Delhi because he was their leading pace bowler last season, finishing with 14 wickets from 11 matches and providing regular breakthroughs. At present, the Capitals are positioned fifth in the points table, having won three of their first six games and lost the same number, leaving them in a competitive but slightly unsettled spot early in the campaign.<\/p>\n
Starc\u2019s return timing also sits within a wider pattern of international players gradually syncing up with their franchises. Australia captain Pat Cummins is set to make his first appearance of the season for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Josh Hazlewood has already returned to action for Royal Challengers Bengaluru after missing the opening matches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mitchell Starc has been cleared by Cricket Australia to take part in the Indian Premier League, with the left-arm fast bowler expected to be available…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Mitchell Starc IPL Return Update: vs Rajasthan Royals","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Mitchell Starc is cleared to return for IPL with Delhi Capitals, expected to feature against Rajasthan Royals on May 1 after elbow and shoulder recovery.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n