Big blow to DC as Mitchell Starc joins Cummins and Hazlewood in list of players to miss early IPL 2026

Australia's big three of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are set to miss the first phase of the IPL 2026.

Is the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 cursed or what? Every overseas player seems to be unavailable for some part or is already ruled out. After tournament-ending injuries to Sam Curran and Nathan Ellis, Australia’s big three of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are set to miss the initial few games of IPL 2026.

For Delhi Capitals, this one stings a little more. Because Mitchell Starc wasn’t just another overseas pick. He was supposed to be the spearhead for DC as only a few pacers can be as lethal as he is. Instead, DC will have to begin their campaign without him. Thankfully, DC bought Lungi Ngidi and Kyle Jamieson at the mini auction. There’s also speedster Dushmantha Chameera.

Why is Mitchell Starc unavailable?

Starc’s unavailability is a call taken by Cricket Australia, who are managing their fast-bowling resources with a long-term view. With a packed Test calendar coming up, including major tours and an ODI World Cup cycle ahead, the board has opted for caution. Australia’s priority is the World Test Championship (WTC).

Starc, in particular, has had a heavy workload over the past year. He played a full Ashes series, where he ended up as the player of the series. He featured towards the back end of the Big Bash League (BBL). Even though he stepped away from T20 internationals, Australia feel they can’t hurry Starc for the entire IPL season. Starc was retained for INR 11.75 crore by Delhi.

Australia pacers’ availability in limbo

Starc isn’t alone in this. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are also set to miss the opening phase, leaving Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) dealing with the same issues.

Cummins is still working his way back from a back stress injury that limited his appearances last season, while Hazlewood has been recovering from a combination of hamstring and Achilles issues. Both missed the T20 World Cup as well, and Australia are in no mood to rush them back. Nathan Ellis, meanwhile, is ruled out too after re-aggravating his hamstring injury, adding to the growing list of absentees.

Delhi Capitals IPL 2026 squad

Batters: KL Rahul, Karun Nair, David Miller, Ben Duckett, Pathum Nissanka, Sahil Parakh, Prithvi Shaw, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs

All-rounders: Axar Patel (C), Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Auqib Dar, Nitish Rana

Bowlers: Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, Lungi Ngidi, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav