Mitchell Starc made his return in style for the Delhi Capitals in the ongoing IPL 2026. In his first outing of this edition’s tournament, the 35-year-old Australian star took 3 wickets against Rajasthan Royals on Friday night at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

Despite his striking appearance, concerns remain as his bowling arm was heavily tied, which has raised concerns about his fitness and longevity as a professional cricketer.

Will Mitchell Starc consider retiring soon?

After the match, Starc was asked about his possible retirement plans. The prime minister of the Capitals of Delhi He reflected that it was not a moment of enjoyment for him, since he had to fight hard to regain his rhythm. Before returning to competitive matches, the closer spent a few months off the field, recovering from injuries and working on his fitness.

However, despite enduring months full of hard work, he is happy to be back on the field. The left-arm quick himself knows that his first appearance of the season was shocking. Therefore, there is no way for him to consider retiring anytime soon.

“There are a couple of things. I think we would laugh if you had three things tied up and you were thinking about retiring, but I’m not there yet. But no, it is what it is. It’s the life of cricket and the life of the world. We move on,” Mitchell Starc said after the RR vs DC IPL 2026 match.

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Mitchell Starc got his first wicket of IPL 2026 in the first over vs RR

RR batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal welcomed the bowler with a big hit but Starc responded sharply before dismissing the Rajasthan Royals opener. A high and full throw Mitchell Starc He dismissed Jaiswal on the third delivery of the first over of the match. Later, he took the seamer DC and claimed the wickets of Riyan Parag, the RR captain, who scored 90, and veteran Ravindra Jadeja. Mitchell Starc concluded his 4 over spell with 3 wickets for 40 runs.

“It’s good to get some of the cobwebs out of the way and get back up to game speed. I think I was good to get a little run in the legs, but it’s good to be back with the boys, train a bit and then obviously get the win tonight. So, yeah, it’s good to get back. I’ve been bowling a little bit over a period of weeks, just trying to position my elbow so I can handle the movement,” Starc told the announcers after the match.

DC pacer looked confident after the match

Starc also said it was his first match in three months. That’s why he himself was excited about the return. At the end of the day, when he ticked most of the boxes, he seemed more confident than before.

“I hadn’t bowled a batsman for three months until tonight. So, it’s like getting back up to that speed pretty quickly. I’ve been playing cricket for a while, so in terms of ticking the boxes with skills, I felt I was in a position to do most of what I wanted. Tonight was a good reminder of some of the things that make the game. I think I’ll be better at leg-running for 20 overs, and then now I’ll get into my part of the tournament,” he added.

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