Mitchell Starc will lose a significant portion of his 11.75 crore rupees salary due to not returning to the IPL.
This is a major blow to Delhi Capitals’ playoff hopes. After the IPL was suspended, Starc returned to Australia and will not be coming back for the remainder of the tournament. The team has thus lost its main bowling weapon. With 14 wickets, this left-arm fast bowler remains the highest wicket-taker for Delhi this season.
The IPL was suspended last Friday due to the India-Pakistan match controversy. The franchise tournament is set to resume on Saturday.
Delhi’s Australian batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk had already confirmed he would not return. The young batsman’s spot was filled by Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman. The team’s desperate bid to sign the left-arm pacer for 6 crore rupees, well above his base price of 2 crore, hinted that Starc might not come back—and that turned out to be true.
Not returning to the IPL means Starc will have extra time to prepare for the Test Championship final. However, he will lose a significant part of his 11.75 crore rupees salary.
Not all Australian players are following Starc and Fraser-McGurk. Even though Sunrisers Hyderabad’s exit is confirmed from the bottom of the points table, captain Pat Cummins and opener Travis Head will return for the last three matches to maintain IPL regulations. Cummins will lead Australia in the Test Championship final, with Head also in the squad.
Another Australian star, Josh Hazlewood, is uncertain to return due to a minor shoulder injury. Since April 27, Hazlewood hasn’t played and will decide on his comeback based on his fitness. With the Test Championship final starting on June 11, taking risks before then isn’t advisable.
Lucknow Super Giants’ playoff chances are slim, but Mitchell Marsh is returning to join the team. Another Australian, Josh Inglis, is in talks with Punjab Kings about his return. Inglis is part of Australia’s Test Championship squad as a wicketkeeper-batsman.
South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs will return to play for Delhi but only for the remaining preliminary matches. The Proteas players in the Test Championship squad must return home by May 27, as finalized after discussions between the South African and BCCI boards.
Like Stubbs, other Proteas players such as Gujarat Titans’ Kagiso Rabada, Lucknow’s Aiden Markram, Punjab Kings’ Marco Jansen, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Lungi Ngidi, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Vian Mulder, and Mumbai Indians’ Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch will leave the IPL immediately after the preliminary stage.
Former South African captain Faf du Plessis does not have such an obligation but his return to Delhi Capitals is still not confirmed.
Mumbai Indians’ English all-rounder Will Jacks has returned to India but will have to leave before playoffs to join the national team. For the playoffs, Mumbai has brought in Jonny Bairstow and pacer Richard Gleeson as replacements for Jacks and Rickelton.
Several players have joined teams as replacements this way, and more could follow in the coming days.
