New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani said the franchise is awaiting the arrival of Australia left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc ahead of IPL 2026 and are also waiting for him to get the No-Objection Certificate (NoC) from Cricket Australia.

Starc, 36, is set to miss at least the opening phase of IPL 2026 as Cricket Australia monitors his workload ahead of a hectic international season. His absence will mean that DC will have to rejig their bowling plans, considering they have earmarked Starc as their pace bowling spearhead.

Starc was the franchise’s second-highest wicket-taker last season, claiming 14 wickets in 11 matches and DC retained him after securing his services for Rs 11.75 crore at the auction ahead of the 2025 edition of the competition. DC will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on April 1.

"With Mitchell Starc, we are waiting to hear from Cricket Australia. We are waiting for him to get the NOC from Cricket Australia. Once he gets that, we will know what is happening and when we will join the team. We're in constant touch with him. We have updates - as in he's been bowling, he's had a bowl of two days back. But unless Cricket Australia signs off on him saying he's fit to play, there's very little that a franchise can do," said Badani in the pre-season press conference on Monday.

Venugopal Rao, DC’s Director of Cricket, insisted that the side will provide an update once Starc’s departure for IPL 2026 is certain. "No, he's coming. He's waiting for Cricket Australia clearance on both workload and fitness. We're monitoring the whole thing. As soon as there's an update, we'll update you."

DC captain Axar Patel chose to have an optimistic tone, saying that Starc can get the NoC any time before April 1 comes and felt drafting a like-for-like option in India left-arm pacer T Natarajan is easier said than done.

"See, though the confirmation on the arrival date of Starc is yet to come, I feel that right now he can come even before the first match also. If he gets the NOC, then I think he can come even before the first match and we haven't been given a particular time - that he will miss these particular matches.

“Right now, he hasn't been given the NOC, but we are told that he will clear it. So we are just waiting for that update, and if he doesn't come, then I think there is no such temptation that just left arm to left arm bowler will come into the playing eleven. We will go on the field after thinking about the combination of the team, the four foreign players and what is the balance of the Indian players.

“According to that, it will be decided whether Natarajan will replace him - lefty to lefty or not. I think he is doing very well from last year and he had a camp in Dubai also and we are regularly monitoring him and he is doing quite good from last year and is 100 percent fit."

--IANS

nr/bc