'Waiting for NOC from CA': Delhi Capitals on Mitchell Starc’s IPL 2026 availability
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Waiting for NOC from CA': Delhi Capitals on Mitchell Starc’s IPL 2026 availability")
Mitchell Starc Photograph: (AFP)
Delhi Capitals (DC) will start their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 1.
Several IPL franchises are concerned about the availability of their overseas stars, who could miss parts of the 2026 season or even the entire tournament due to various reasons. Mitchell Starc, Delhi Capitals’ pace spearhead, is also expected to miss the initial phase of the season, as Cricket Australia manages his workload. DC head coach Hemang Badani said the team is still unsure about Starc’s availability and is awaiting official clearance (NOC) from Cricket Australia before confirming anything.
“We are waiting for an NOC from Cricket Australia, once we get that, then only we can say anything about Starc’s availability," Badani told reporters in New Delhi on Monday.
Also Read - Former Indian captain MS Dhoni honours T20 World Cup winners Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube at CSK event
Team director Venugopal Rao added that Starc’s fitness is also a concern, but they expect him to join once the clearance comes.
“Starc will come, we just waiting for the NOC because his fitness is the concern. We are just waiting for it," he said.
Th 36-year-old had a good last season, taking 14 wickets in 11 matches and was retained by the franchise after being bought for INR 11.75 crore in the 2025 auction. Delhi will start their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants at Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 1.
Trending Stories
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
Starc is not the only Australian player facing availability concerns, as Josh Hazlewood (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad) are also expected to miss a few early matches. Cummins, who leads SRH, will be replaced as captain by Ishan Kishan during his absence. Meanwhile, Jack Edwards (SRH) and Nathan Ellis (Chennai Super Kings) are set to miss the entire season due to injuries.
