Delhi Capitals fast bowler Mitchell Starc has drawn immense praise from the franchise head coach, following a five-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals in the 2026 Indian Premier League on Sunday night.
After the first two ineffective overs, Starc returned to set back RR in a big way. He took wickets of Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Ravi Singh and Dasun Shanaka in his remaining two, including three wickets in the 15th over. Thanks to his bowling in his last two overs, RR, playing at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, were a few runs short of a desired total. Later, Delhi Capitals comfortably won the game, and Starc was rightly chosen Man of the Match.
DC head coach Hemang Badani, speaking after the match, praised the 36-year-old giant of the game not a little. Starc could not play in the first eight matches for DC as he was recovering from the injuries he picked up during the demanding Ashes and the Big Bash League for Sydney Sixers earlier this year.
“His work ethic, his preparation before the game with his own plans and his training are above par. I don’t even see that with a lot of the younger boys, that’s the reason why he has sustained for so long. If you go back and see the recent Ashes series, he single-handedly won them the Ashes — there was no Pat Cummins, there was no Josh Hazlewood; that pretty much tells you what that man can do,” Badani said.
There is so much more to Starc!
It’s not just great bowling that Starc brings to the table. He also brings plenty of experience to the table, and he is willing to share his expertise with the youngsters in the side.
The former India batsman highlighted that side of Starc. “Speaking of the kind of work that he puts in with the younger lads: he’s always talking to them, he’s always trying to pass on the knowledge — how can you do reverse swing, how do I hold lengths, what do I do when a certain batter is going hard; do I look to pick wickets or do I look to try and be submissive and be defensive. There’s immense conversation that Starcy brings to the table,” Badani added.
Starc has taken 9 wickets so far in the 2026 IPL. However, he has been a bit expensive with an economy rate of 10.42. While mathematically, DC can qualify for the play-offs, if truth be told, they are out of contention. A lot of things will have to go their way, for them to qualify.
