Overseas Pacers Delhi Capitals Can Sign As Mitchell Starc's Replacements For IPL 2026

Mitchell Starc replacement options for IPL 2026 [Source: X]

Friday morning struck Delhi Capitals fans with concerning news of Mitchell Starc's unavailability from the early stages of IPL 2026, confirmed by Cricket Australia. After a long Test summer, followed by the BBL stint, the left-arm quick is going to manage his workload for the packed international schedule for the next 18 months.

While he is not nursing any injury and is likely to join the Delhi Capitals in the middle of the season, looking at the history and his long absence from the IPL, the Capitals would like to assess their options. Many overseas pacers are dealing with injuries across franchises, and the available options in the market are limited, with PSL 11 clashing with IPL 2026.

So, as the Starc is set to miss the early part of IPL 2026, we take a look at the options that the Delhi Capitals can sign in case the pacer is ruled out of the tournament.\

Mitchell Starc replacements for Delhi Capitals for IPL 2026

1. Spencer Johnson

Mitchell Starc's countryman is the most prominent pacer available in the market after he recently pulled out of the PSL 11. He is a like-for-like replacement as a left-arm pacer, who can bowl in both the powerplay and the death overs.

Ahead of IPL 2026, Johnson has missed a few months of cricket due to a recurring back injury — also meaning that he would come to IPL fresh and rested. Previously, he has featured for Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans and had a base price of INR 1.50 crore in the auction, going unsold.

(Spencer Johnson's stats in T20 powerplays and death overs)

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2. Fazalhaq Farooqi

Afghanistan's hero in their run to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, Fazalhaq Farooqi, is another frontline left-arm quick, who went unsold in the IPL 2026 auction. He was also an important member of the Afghanistan squad in the recent T20 mega event, but like the last IPL, he did not have a great time.

Nonetheless, with bleak options in the market, Farooqi is among the better left-arm pacers who can bowl in both powerplay and death overs, like Starc and Johnson. He is more experienced than Johnson, making him a good replacement option for the Delhi Capitals.

(Fazalhaq Farooqi's stats in T20 powerplays and death overs)

3. Shadley van Schalkwyk

The USA pacer was one of the best bowlers of the recently concluded T20 World Cup, who used his slower balls and variations to perfection. At 37, he is vastly experienced, with 124 T20 matches under his belt, picking 133 wickets at an economy rate of under 8 runs per over.

He does not have any previous stint in the IPL, but has been a part of the Knight Riders' setup in ILT20 and Major League Cricket. For the LA Knight Riders, he has picked 16 wickets in 12 innings with the best figures of 3/24.

Despite only playing the group stage matches in the T20 World Cup, he was the second-highest wicket-taker of the competition behind the joint-leaders, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy. He picked 13 wickets, only one less than the duo with four-fers against India and Pakistan.

Conclusion: Who is the best replacement for Mitchell Starc in IPL 2026?

In an ideal situation, the Delhi Capitals do not need to replace Mitchell Starc for IPL 2026. As it is revealed by Cricket Australia's press release, Starc is not injured and will most likely join the DC camp in the middle of the season.

Additionally, they have a variety of options to pick from in their squad. Among the overseas players, apart from Lungi Ngidi, who is among the first-choice starters, they have Dushmantha Chameera and Kyle Jamieson. Chameera can operate in the middle and death overs, while Jamieson is a specialist powerplay seamer.

Apart from the overseas ones, DC also have Auqib Nabi, Mukesh Kumar and T Natarajan, who excel in different phases. Hence, Mitchell Starc is and should be unlikely to be replaced.

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