Mitchell Starc breaks silence on absence from Delhi Capitals camp for IPL 2026; Australian says ‘I apologise for that…’

Delhi Capitals pacer Mitchell Starc has finally broken his silence on the absence just before the 19th season of Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off on Saturday. Taking to Instagram, Starc lashed out at media narratives regarding his absence from the Delhi Capitals camp. The 35-year-old left-arm pacer revealed that he is currently under rehabilitation for a shoulder injury that most likely took place during the Big Bash League.

“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 wrote on his Instagram story.

“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,” added Starc.

One of the most lethal fast bowlers in the world, Starc made his IPL debut in 2014 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and played till 2015. Post that, he focussed on national team commitments before returning to the world's richest franchise league with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024.

With 17 wickets in 14 matches, Starc played a key role in KKR's road to the title in IPL 2024, before being released by the three-time champions. He was roped in by Delhi Capitals in 2025, taking 14 wickets in 11 games.

When will Mitchell Starc return for Delhi Capitals?

Although he apologised to the fans and the stakeholders for his unavailability in the early part of IPL 2026, Starc reiterated that he is committed to the franchise and is in continuous touch with the franchise. However, he remained non-commited on his joining date.

“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,” said Starc. “I remain committed to join DC, are in continual communication updating the team and will continue to do what I can to be available for DC asap,” he concluded.

However, the absence of Starc won't be a problem for Delhi Capitals as they have the likes of Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi, Dushmantha Chameera and highly-rated Auqib Dar to fill that void. Delhi Capitals will start their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1.

Delhi Capitals full schedule for IPL 2026