Australia and Delhi Capitals pacer Mitchell Starc on Saturday said that he has been nursing multiple injuries which forced him to delay his arrival in India for the Indian Premier League 2026 season.
Despite the opinions and views of certain individuals with their platforms in and through the Indian media, I’m currently rehabbing and managing an injury in my shoulder and elbow of which I didn’t know the extent of during the Australian summer,” Starc said in a statement.
The 36-year-old, who picked 14 wickets last season, also fired back at critics, who termed his absence from the league as a lack of willingness to participate.
“These 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.
“With that said I do acknowledge this injury setback and timing is disruptive to the Delhi team and I apologise for that and to the fans for not being available for the early part of this season. I remain committed to join DC, are in continual communication updating the team and will continue,” Starc added.
Apart from Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad, respectively, are also expected to miss out on their teams’ initial fixtures due to injury.
Published on Mar 28, 2026