New Delhi, March 23 Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani said the franchise is awaiting the arrival of Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc ahead of IPL 2026, saying that they are also waiting for him to obtain a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from Cricket Australia.
Starc, 36, is expected to miss at least the initial phase of IPL 2026 due to Cricket Australia monitoring his workload in preparation for a busy international season. His absence will mean that DC will have to revise their bowling plans, considering that Starc has been designated as their key pace bowler.
Starc was the franchise's second-highest wicket-taker last season, taking 14 wickets in 11 matches, and DC retained him after securing his services for ₹11.75 crore at the auction ahead of the 2025 edition of the competition. DC will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 1.
"With Mitchell Starc, we are waiting to hear from Cricket Australia. We are waiting for him to obtain the NOC from Cricket Australia. Once he gets that, we will know what is happening, and when we will join the team," said Badani in the pre-season press conference on Monday.
Venugopal Rao, DC's Director of Cricket, insisted that the side will provide an update once Starc's departure for IPL 2026 is certain. "No, he's coming. He's waiting for Cricket Australia clearance, regarding both workload and fitness. We are monitoring the whole situation. As soon as there's an update, we'll update you."
DC Captain Axar Patel chose to adopt an optimistic tone, saying that Starc can obtain the NOC at any time before April 1, and felt that drafting a like-for-like option in Indian left-arm pacer T Natarajan is easier said than done.
"See, though the confirmation on the arrival date of Starc is yet to come, I feel that right now he can come even before the first match. If he gets the NOC, then I think he can come even before the first match, and we haven't been given a particular time - that he will miss these particular matches.
“Right now, he hasn't been given the NOC, but we are told that he will get it. So we are just waiting for that update, and if he doesn't come, then I think there is no such temptation that just left-arm bowler will come into the playing eleven. We will go on the field after thinking about the combination of the team, the four foreign players, and what is the balance of the Indian players.
“According to that, it will be decided whether Natarajan will replace him - lefty to lefty or not. I think he is doing very well from last year and he had a camp in Dubai also, and we are regularly monitoring him, and he is doing quite good from last year and is 100 percent fit."