Indian Premier League (IPL) teams are sweating on whether their overseas players will be available for the 19th edition of the cash-rich league, which is scheduled to start from March 28. Some players might miss a few matches or even the whole tournament for different reasons.
One of the big concerns is Mitchell Starc, who plays for the Delhi Capitals. He is likely to miss the early part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as Cricket Australia is closely managing his workload.
DC on Mitchell Starc's availability
Ahead of the tournament opener, Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani said that the team is still waiting for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Cricket Australia before confirming anything about Starc’s availability.
“We are waiting for an NOC from Cricket Australia, once we get that, then only we can say anything about Starc’s availability," Badani said.
The team’s Director of Cricket, Venugopal Rao, added that Starc’s fitness is also being closely watched.
“Starc will come, we just waiting for the NOC because his fitness is the concern. We are just waiting for it," he said.
Starc, who is 36, was one of Delhi Capitals’ top performers last season, picking up 14 wickets in 11 matches. The franchise had retained him after signing him for a big amount in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Delhi Capitals will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
Players whose availability is uncertain for IPL 2026
Starc is not the only Australian player whose availability is uncertain. His teammates Josh Hazlewood (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad) are also expected to miss the early matches. Cummins, who leads Sunrisers Hyderabad, will be replaced by Ishan Kishan as captain during his absence.
Meanwhile, a few players will miss the entire season due to injuries. Jack Edwards (Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Nathan Ellis (Chennai Super Kings) are already ruled out.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will play the IPL opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.