IPL 2026 – Mitchell Starc allowed to travel to India, hopeful of playing for Delhi Capitals in early May

Starc (36) has not played any cricket since the end of January. He had a monstrous workload in the Ashes, where he was Player of the Series for taking 31 wickets at 19.93, bowling 153.1 overs over the five Tests. He then played five BBL games for Sydney Sixers in late January, helping them to the final, but in one of those games 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 returning to bowling, delaying his arrival in the IPL.

Starc is understood to have had a good week of pain-free bowling at home in Sydney and will fly to India on Friday. He will need a period of acclimatization and an increase in bowling intensity before he is likely to be available for the May 1 contest in Jaipur. Barring any setbacks, he should be available for the rest of the IPL season.

The news comes as Australian Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins looks set to play his first match 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 only Ashes Test. This Test is also the only game he has played since early July 2025 due 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 wary of managing their star trio of fast bowlers ahead of an unprecedented international schedule over the next 18 months. Australia will play 20 Tests, possibly 21 if they qualify for the WTC finals next June, between August 2026 and August 2027 before the ODI World Cup in October-November 2027.