Starc cleared to travel to India, hopeful of playing for DC in early May

Mitchell Starc has been cleared of shoulder and elbow issues and will travel to India on Friday with hopes of being available to play for Delhi Capitals on May 1

Alex Malcolm

Published: Apr 23, 2026, 4:49 AM (3 hrs ago)

Premier Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been cleared to travel to IPL 2026 after overcoming shoulder and elbow issues and is hoping to be available for Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of their game against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on May 1.

Starc, 36, has not played any cricket since late January. He had a monstrous workload in the Ashes, where he was the Player of the Series for taking 31 wickets at 19.93, and bowled 153.1 overs across the five Tests. He then played five BBL matches for Sydney Sixers in late January, helping them to the final, but in one of those matches against Perth Scorchers, he fell heavily on his left shoulder and elbow in the field while diving for a catch.

After a break in February, he experienced some soreness when he returned to bowl, which delayed his arrival at the IPL.

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There was confusion initially about why he was not in India for the start of the IPL, which led Starc to detail his injury on social media and express frustration at "heavily misinformed opinions" about his unavailability.

It is understood that Starc has had a good week of pain-free bowling at home in Sydney and is due to fly to India on Friday. He will require a period of acclimatisation and a ramp-up in bowling intensity before likely being available for the May 1 contest in Jaipur. Barring any setbacks, he should be available for the remainder of the IPL season.

The news comes as Australia Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins appears set to play his first game of the IPL season for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Saturday, also against RR in Jaipur.

Cummins has not played any cricket since mid-December, when he played his lone Test of the Ashes. That Test is also the only game he has played since early July 2025 owing to a lumbar stress injury in his lower back.

The return of Starc, Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to full fitness is a relief for Cricket Australia, who have been understandably cautious about the management of their star trio of quicks ahead of an unprecedented international schedule over the next 18 months. Australia are set to play 20 Tests, possibly 21 if they qualify for the WTC final next June, between August 2026 and August 2027 before the ODI World Cup in October-November 2027.

Alex Malcolm is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo

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