New Delhi, May 2: Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc made his IPL 2026 debut on Friday, showcasing impressive performance against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). Starc played a crucial role in leading his team, the Delhi Capitals (DC), to victory.
After missing the first eight matches of the season due to injury, Starc took three wickets for 40 runs in his four overs against RR.
Following the match, Starc shared his thoughts in a video released by the IPL, stating, “It’s always nice to start with a win. It felt great to be back with the team. I’ve been part of the group for a week, and it’s been good to train.”
He added, “This is the first time in almost three months that I’ve bowled to a batsman. I’ve played long enough to know what I need to do to prepare. It took me a little time to get back into the game’s rhythm. I haven’t played white-ball cricket for a while, and it’s a bit faster than Test cricket. It was important to secure the win. Personally, it felt good to run a few miles on my legs.”
Discussing the significance of taking early wickets against Rajasthan, he remarked, “Yes, we know Rajasthan is a team that has had some big opening partnerships. Both openers have performed well in many games for them. For us, I think taking wickets during the powerplay is crucial. Against Rajasthan, getting into the middle order during the powerplay means we’re pushing the game on our terms. So, getting those two early breakthroughs was very helpful. There were some partnerships in between, but I think our batsmen chased the target well.”
Starc praised openers KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka for their contributions in achieving the target.
Looking ahead to future matches, the left-arm fast bowler said, “We will focus on one match at a time. Our attention is now on the next game.”
In the match, DC successfully chased down RR’s target of 226 runs in just 19.1 overs, losing three wickets in the process.
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