Mitchell Starc had not bowled a competitive delivery since January. Months of injury, controversy, public criticism and a delayed return had built to this moment — his first over in IPL 2026 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, against one of the most aggressive opening pairs in the competition.
It did not go quietly.
Ball one: Yashasvi Jaiswal, hanging back, picked up a short delivery in the slot and swung it hard over backward square leg. Six. Mitchell Starc, in his first ball of the IPL season, was hit for a maximum.
Ball two: Back of a length, outside off, Jaiswal taps it to the off side. Dot ball. Starc steadies.
Ball three: And then — in the way only cricket can deliver — Starc had the last laugh. A caught and bowled. Jaiswal, on 6 off 3, slapped the ball back straight and Starc pouched it cleanly. Yashasvi Jaiswal c and b Mitchell Starc. 6(3).
What the wicket meant
Starc’s maiden wicket of IPL 2026 came in the most Starc way possible — not through express pace or a swinging yorker, but through the kind of composure that only comes from having played at the highest level for over a decade. He absorbed the six, reset immediately, and took the wicket two balls later. The crowd, which had roared at the Jaiswal six, fell silent within the same over.
Delhi Capitals had picked up just seven wickets in the powerplay all season — joint-fewest in the competition. For context, Rajasthan themselves had taken 21 powerplay wickets, with Jofra Archer alone accounting for nine. Starc’s wicket in the very first over of his season underlined exactly what Delhi had been missing.
The road back
Starc was cleared to play from May 1 onwards after Cricket Australia provided a fitness report confirming his recovery from the shoulder and elbow injury he suffered during a Big Bash League match against Perth Scorchers in late January. He had rejoined the Delhi squad the previous week but did not play the RCB match — the one in which Delhi were bowled out for 75.
Delhi’s bowling coach Munaf Patel had said on the eve of the match: “He is available from tomorrow. Our best bowler will definitely play. His coming back definitely helps.”
Helps is an understatement. In three deliveries of his first over, Starc provided more powerplay impact than Delhi’s attack had managed in entire matches this season. The comeback was worth waiting for.