Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has hit back at critics over his absence from the early phase of IPL 2026. The left-arm quick is yet to arrive in India and will miss Delhi Capitals’ opening matches, sparking debate around overseas players’ commitment, with Sunil Gavaskar among those voicing concerns. Addressing the speculation, Starc clarified that he is recovering from an elbow injury picked up during the Australian summer. Cricket Australia have already announced that the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will miss the early stages of the tournament due to workload management.
Meanwhile, his absence sparked widespread discussion among fans, with many questioning his commitment. Former Australia cricketer Alyssa Healy, his wife, also weighed in, revealing that Starc is recovering from an injury through a comment on her Instagram post after a fan raised concerns over his unavailability.
Breaking his silence on the growing criticism, Starc addressed the speculation around his IPL absence, clarifying the injury concerns behind his delayed arrival.
“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 stated.
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Hitting out at the criticism surrounding his IPL absence, the Aussie paceman took a strong stance against what he described as misinformed narratives being pushed in the media.
“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,” he added.
Mitchell Starc remains committed to Delhi Capitals
Starc acknowledged the impact of his absence, offering an apology to DC and fans while reaffirming his commitment to return at the earliest.
“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 to do what I can to be available for DC asap,” he concluded.
