Australia’s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has launched a fierce attack against Indian media pundits and certain individuals he accuses of spreading heavily misinformed opinions regarding the shoulder and elbow injury that will sideline him for the opening matches of IPL 2026.
In a candid Instagram statement on Saturday, Delhi Capitals (DC) fast bowler confirmed he is dealing with a recently diagnosed issue in his shoulder and elbow – an injury he says he was unaware of the full extent of during the Australian summer. The revelation comes amid growing speculation in Indian cricketing circles questioning his fitness and commitment to the franchise.
“Despite the opinions and views of certain individuals with their platforms in and through the Indian media, I’m currently rehabbing and managing an injury in my shoulder and elbow of which I didn’t know the extent of during the Australian summer,” Starc wrote.
The left-arm pacer did not hold back in his criticism of those who questioned his availability, emphasizing that external commentary had overstepped the mark.
“These individuals have made some strong statements around involvement in the IPL and provided heavily misinformed opinions of players, preached them as facts, and claim to know my body better than me,” he added.
Mitchell Starc apologises to Delhi Capitals and their fans
While pushing back against the media narrative, Starc acknowledged the inconvenient timing of the setback and expressed regret to the Delhi Capitals organization and their supporters. He stopped short of specifying how many matches he would miss but reaffirmed his commitment to joining the franchise as soon as possible.
“With that said I do acknowledge this injury setback and timing is disruptive to the Delhi team and I apologise for that and to the fans for not being available for the early part of this season. I remain committed to join DC, are in continual communication updating the team and will continue to do what I can to be available for DC asap,” Starc stated.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra emerged as one of the most prominent voices questioning Starc’s absence. In a recent episode of his YouTube channel, Chopra expressed skepticism about the pacer’s fitness status, pointing to the gap since the conclusion of the Ashes series in January this year.
“If Mitchell Starc is also not going to come at the start, what is Cricket Australia doing? … even though he is absolutely fit. He has already said goodbye to T20Is. So, what has he done in the last two months or so?” Chopra had remarked.
Confusion over Starc’s No-Objection Certificate
The uncertainty surrounding Starc’s availability was compounded by mixed messaging from the Delhi Capitals camp. In recent press conferences, the franchise management declined to confirm the nature of the injury, stating only that Cricket Australia (CA) had not yet issued the No-Objection Certificate (NoC) required for his participation.
Adding to the confusion, CA’s official website, cricket.com.au, had previously suggested that the governing body was deliberately holding Starc back from the early IPL fixtures to manage his workload ahead of a congested international schedule spanning 2026 and 2027.
Starc’s emphatic clarification now confirms the injury is physical rather than administrative, drawing a firm line between medical reality and the speculation he says has dominated Indian media coverage in recent days.
