Australia bowler Mitchell Starc is yet to join the Delhi Capitals camp and it is learned that the 36-year-old is likely to miss at least three games of the team. Stark is recovering from shoulder and elbow injuries in his hometown and is unlikely to join the team before April 20. Before this, Delhi are scheduled to play three matches – against Gujarat Titans on April 8, CSK on April 11 and RCB on April 18 – and will be without the star bowler.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!The DC brain trust is optimistic that Starc will join them at some point this season, but the timeline is unclear at this stage. In the absence of the left arm, the Axar Patel-led side recorded wins against both Lucknow Supergiants and Mumbai Indians, with the versatile bowling unit also putting in strong performances. Mukesh Kumar has a great eye for the new ball. Lungi Ngidi and T Narajan were accurate in the tough overs, while the spinners – Axar, Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam – dominated the middle overs.The addition of Starc will only add significant muscle to this potent attack and the bowlers remain in constant contact with the management. In a social media post last month, he revealed the nature of his injury and slammed the “misconceptions of players”.Starc wrote in a statement: “Despite the opinions and views expressed by certain individuals on the platforms of the Indian media, I am currently rehabbing and treating shoulder and elbow injuries, the extent of which I was unaware of during the Australian summer. These individuals have made some strong statements regarding participation in the IPL and have provided grossly misleading views of players, promoting them as fact and claiming to know my body better than I do.”The bowler claims he is committed to joining the DC side “as soon as possible”.“Having said that, I do acknowledge this injury setback and the disruption this timing has caused to the Derry team and I apologize to the fans for this as I will not be able to play in the early part of the season. I remain committed to DC, remain in constant communication with the team and will continue to do my best to play for DC as soon as possible,” he added.Delhi Capitals will next play against Gujarat Titans at home on April 8 as they look to continue their unbeaten run in the tournament. Young batsman Samir Rizvi scored two runs in a chase under pressure and the management will now hope that the experienced batsmen around him can step up and make a substantial contribution. DC are one of the four teams to remain unbeaten in the tournament and a win over GT will put them at the top of the IPL 2026 standings.
