Mitchell Starc to join Delhi Capitals squad ahead of IPL 2026 return

After receiving the necessary clearances from Cricket Australia, fast bowler Mitchell Starc is set to join the Delhi Capitals on Friday morning. The 36-year-old, sidelined with elbow and shoulder injuries, is now expected to return to action for DC's May 1 fixture against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026.

As first reported by TimesofIndia.com, the DC think-tank was in regular contact with the left-armer and knew he was unlikely to join the squad until at least April 20. The Axar Patel-led unit has won three and lost as many out of the six games they have played in the league so far. While Starc's development is a big boost, the team must perform its best in two more games - against Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru - without the experienced Aussie to keep their IPL 2026 playoff qualification chances strong.

It is understood that the men who matter could tweak their combination in the coming games, given the Starc situation, as they would have to manage the four overseas slots smartly. Pathum Nissanka, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, and Lungi Ngidi have been playing, but when Starc returns to the XI, the management will face a happy headache. They have multiple options to explore, and it remains to be seen how long Sahil Parakh will remain on the bench in IPL 2026. The 18-year-old left-hander has been very impressive in the pre-season camp and the full-strength intra-squad fixtures which followed, and could soon find himself in the top-order very soon. Even the senior players in the team are very impressed with his fearless strokeplay which allowed him to comfortably take down bowlers like Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan comfortably in stiff match-simulations.

Starc will join the squad tomorrow morning but won't rush back to competitive cricket; he will gradually build his workload this coming week before the away fixture against RR. The left-armer played 11 games for the franchise last season and took 14 wickets in those outings. If he remains on track to play the May 1 fixture, the experienced quick will play at least six games for the franchise and would hope to make an immediate impact towards the business end of the tournament.