Mitchell Starc’s fiery spell on the return (Image: IPL/BCCI)
Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel heaped praise on Mitchell Starc after the left-arm pacer took three wickets in his first match of IPL 2026 as Delhi Capitals beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets.Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc returned to professional cricket after nearly three months recovering from shoulder and elbow injuries, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal straight away in his first match to send Rajasthan Royals on the back foot.
Then, later in the match in the 17th over, the Australian great also dispatched Ravindra Jadeja and Ryan Parag. He eventually finished with numbers 3/40.
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Captain Axar Patel described him as a legend of the game in the post-match conference after the win,”clearly. The way he plays today is why he is a legend of the game. After three months out, he comes back and delivers a performance like that on a wicket like this – it tells you how big of a player he is.
“Very happy to have Starc back and show everyone why he is a great player,” Axar said on Starc.
Delhi overtook Rajasthan
KL Rahul led a dominant chase as Delhi Capitals defeated Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, chasing down 226 with five balls.Rahul anchored the innings with a 75 off 40 balls, while Pathum Nissanka set the tone early with a quick 62 off 33. The pair’s 110-run opening stand put Delhi firmly in control.
Contributions from Nitish Rana (33 off 17) and an unbeaten final stand between Ashutosh Sharma and Tristan Stubbs ensured a smooth chase.Earlier, Rayyan Parag impressed for Rajasthan with a score of 90 out of 50 after they slumped to 12/2. He shared a crucial 102-run partnership with Dhruv Gurriel (42), which helped the Royals to 225/6. However, on a batting-friendly pitch, their total proved inadequate as Delhi completed a second successive 225+ successful chase at the venue in the space of a week.