Delhi Capitals [Source: AP]Mitchell Starc became the primary difference between Delhi Capitals and the Rajasthan Royals franchises during their high-scoring thriller in Delhi on Sunday, May 17. In a match that featured an aggregate of nearly 400 runs, the legendary Australian paceman picked up four wickets at an expense of just 40 runs to restrict the Royals from 161-2 in 14 overs to 193-8 by the completion of their innings. For his four-wicket burst in the backend of the innings, Starc fittingly won the ‘Player of the Match’ award. It is worth noting that the 36-year-old was forced to miss the first half of the ongoing IPL 2026 season owing to his longstanding injury concern. Instantly making an impact for his side in their otherwise underwhelming campaign, Starc’s early absence has now been lamented by none other than Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani. The cricketer-turned-coach recently went to war with Cricket Australia for apparently restricting the speedster’s IPL 2026 availability. Delhi Capitals coach blames Cricket Australia for Stark’s unavailabilityEver since playing the 2025-26 Ashes series and the 2025-26 BBL season in Australia back in January, Mitchell Starc did not play any form of competitive cricket up until the halfway stage of IPL 2026. Having missed the 2026 T20 World Cup, the legendary Australian paceman was also restricted to play the earlier phase of IPL 2026 owing to his injury concern. Also Read- Delhi Capitals Openly Blame BCCI For Their IPL PerilBlaming CA for Starc’s unavailability, the Capitals coach recently stated that the senior Australian paceman should have stayed with the franchise since the start of the season. Badani also acknowledged the fact that the franchise has spent a lot of money for acquiring the services of the cricketer. While speaking after Capitals’ win over the Royals, Badani said “Ideally, I would want my players to be available to me from day one. And Mitchell Starc is probably one of my biggest players in my squad, and we've invested in him, and we know that he's a match winner.” He added “Certain things that are decided by associations and governing bodies, there's very little that we can do. Because if Cricket Australia does not release him there's little a coach or any franchise can do.” Starc blows hot and cold on his playing return While Hemang Badani has implied that the presence of Mitchell Starc would have made a world of difference for the Delhi Capitals, the legendary Australian paceman himself has blown hot and cold since his return to competitive cricket. After starting off his IPL 2026 season with a match-winning three-fer against the Rajasthan Royals on May 1, the speedster went wicketless against CSK and KKR. Starc also leaked 57 runs in his four overs against the Punjab Kings, before finding his rhythm with a sensational four-fer against the Royals in Delhi on Sunday, May 17. Overall, in five innings of the tournament, the 36-year-old has picked nine wickets at an average of 22 and with an expensive economy of 10.42. Delhi Capitals on the cusp of elimination Despite winning against the Rajasthan Royals, the Delhi Capitals franchise is still ranked seventh on the IPL 2026 points table. With six wins and seven defeats from just 13 matches, it is imperative for the Capitals to win its impending fixture against the KKR on May 24. The franchise will also need to hope for a slew of exterior results to go their way.Also Read- Sri Lanka Cricket Announces LPL 2026 Schedule; R. Premadasa Stadium To Host Final
