Mitchell Starc is back and how. Playing his first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against the Rajasthan Royals on May 1 (Friday) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, he was hit for a first ball six, not by the usual suspect Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but by Yashasvi Jaiswal .
On the second ball, Starc put it outside off which was well played by the left-hander.
However, it was the third ball that eventually led to Jaiswal’s demise. He played the short ball towards the leg side but the connection was not sweet enough, the ball went up immediately. Starc, running from run-up towards to the short square leg, took an easy catch. That announced the first wicket for Delhi in what is their first of the six must-win matches.
The Road Back: Why Starc Missed the First Half
Starc’s absence from the initial phase of IPL 2026 was a major point of concern for Delhi. The left-armer’s arrival was delayed due to a combination of shoulder and elbow injuries that surfaced following an intense Ashes series and a heavy fall during the Big Bash League (BBL) in late January.
Cricket Australia’s medical team kept him under close observation in Sydney for three months, only granting him the “green light” to join the DC camp on April 23. To ensure he was match-ready, the franchise gave him an extra week of acclimatization and training, choosing the high-stakes clash against Rajasthan Royals for his official re-entry. In his absence, Delhi’s attack—led by Lungi Ngidi and Mukesh Kumar—struggled for consistency, making his breakthrough tonight even more symbolic.
Head-to-Head: Starc vs Jaiswal
Before tonight’s dismissal, the battle between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mitchell Starc was a brief and relatively one-sided affair in favor of the batter. In their previous IPL encounters (primarily during the 2024 and 2025 seasons), Jaiswal had managed to score 9 runs off 6 balls from Starc without being dismissed.
Tonight’s wicket marked the first time Starc has dismissed Jaiswal in the IPL, effectively leveling the playing field. While Jaiswal’s strike rate against the Aussie remains high, Starc now holds the psychological edge of having out-thought the young opener in a “must-win” match for his franchise.
The Mission for Delhi: With this wicket, Starc has set the tone for Delhi’s first of six mandatory wins. If the Capitals are to reach the 16-point mark and sneak into the playoffs, they will need more of this “Boss” energy from their million-dollar pacer.