Axar Patel, captain of the Delhi Capitals (DC), has stated that the franchise is awaiting a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Cricket Australia so that star pacer Mitchell Starc can play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2026.
It was recently revealed that the seasoned left-arm seamer would be arriving late for his IPL stint with DC, with Cricket Australia handling his workload ahead of an extremely hectic international schedule.
According to Axar, Starc can play in DC’s first game of the season if he receives a NOC in a timely manner. On April 1, the capital city team will play its debut away game against the Lucknow Super Giants. Additionally, Axar has made it clear that if Starc is unavailable for the first part of the IPL, there is no need to replace him with T. Natarajan, another left-arm seamer, if doing so would upset the team’s balance.
“It is tough to answer that at this stage. If Starc gets NOC, he can come before the first match also. We are waiting for that update. If he doesn’t come there is no temptation to replace a left arm pacer with a left arm pacer. It is about team combination. Having said that, Natajaran is doing really well and is 100 percent fit,” Axar said at the press conference as quoted by NDTV.
Starc is fit and has started bowling in the nets, according to DC head coach Hemang Badani. But unless Starc’s national cricket body gives them the go-ahead to participate in the lucrative competition, the team is powerless.
“We are waiting to get the NOC from Cricket Australia. Once we get that, we will know when he will join us. “We are in constant touch with CA. He has been bowling, he bowled a few days back. Unless Cricket Australia signs off on him that he is fit to play, there is little a franchise can do.” Badani told.
Starc will be a significant loss for DC ahead of the 2026 IPL season. In his first season at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the left-hander claimed 14 wickets from 11 games. Lungi Ngidi and Dushmantha Chameera are DC’s foreign substitutes for the Australian.
