Mitchell Starc Speaks On His Retirement Just 1 Match Into IPL 2026

Mitchell Starc [Source: AFP]

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc finally made his debut in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday, 1 May. He played for Delhi Capitals in their away match against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.

To begin with, Starc had missed the early matches of the season. Along with him, fellow Australian pacers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were also unavailable initially. Notably, Starc was the last among the three to join the IPL this year.

Why did Mitchell Starc Miss The Early IPL 2026 Matches?

The main reason for his delay was injury. He had suffered elbow and shoulder issues during the Australian summer. This happened after he played all five Ashes Test matches, where Australia won the series 4-1. Therefore, Mitchell Starc needed time to recover fully before returning to competitive cricket.  

At the time of his arrival, Delhi Capitals were not in a strong position. They were placed seventh on the points table and had lost five out of their last six matches. As a result, the team was under pressure and needed a win to stay in the race for the playoffs.

Meanwhile, there were several changes in the playing XI. Starc replaced Dushmantha Chameera, while Pathum Nissanka came in for Sahil Parikh at the top of the order. Additionally, due to restrictions on foreign players, David Miller had to sit out, and Ashutosh Sharma took his place in the middle order.

Also Read: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Record vs Left-Arm Pacers Before Mitchell Starc Clash

Mitchell Starc Makes An Immediate Impact

Despite being away from the game for nearly three months, Starc made a strong comeback. He played a key role in the match by taking three wickets. Right from his first over, he showed his class by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Later in the game, he picked up two more important wickets, Ravindra Jadeja and Riyan Parag, in the 17th over. He finished with impressive figures of 3/40. 

Mitchell Starc Talks About His Return

After the match, Mitchell Starc looked relieved and happy to be back on the field. He spoke about the challenges of returning to top-level cricket after injury.

“It's nice to get some cobwebs out, get back to the speed of the game. I think I was good to get some running in the legs, but nice to be back around the guys, get some training in, and then obviously get the win tonight. 

So, yeah, nice to return. I've been bowling a little bit for a period of weeks, just trying to position my elbow so I can manage the movement," Starc told the broadcasters after the match.

Mitchell Starc Responds Calmly To Retirement Buzz

However, there have been discussions about his retirement, especially since he is now 36 years old. The left-arm quick has already retired from Twenty20 internationals to focus on Test cricket and prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup. 

When asked about his fitness and the strapping on his arm, Starc responded in a relaxed and humorous way.

"There's a couple of things. I think we'd laugh if you had three things strapped on and were thinking about retirement, but I'm not quite there yet. But no, it is what it is. It's the cricket life and the world's life. We move on," he concluded.

As far as the match is concerned, it was an exciting contest held at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Delhi Capitals successfully chased a big target of 226 runs, winning the game with five balls to spare.

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