Delhi Capitals head coach Hemang Badani has praised the Australian fast bowler. Mitchell Starc He bowled a player of the match spell in a five-wicket win against Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, 17 May.
Badani described Starc's presence in the dressing room as a 'role model' for young players due to his impeccable preparation and work ethic. He explained how the 36-year-old is always in conversation with the younger players in the team, focusing on the subtle and subtle details that will help them improve their knowledge and skills.
Badani said in the post-game press conference, “His work ethic, his preparation with his plans before the game and his training is top notch. I don't see that with a lot of young lads, that's why he's lasted so long. If you go back and watch recent Ashes series, he won the Ashes single-handedly – there was no Pat Cummins, no Josh Hazlewood; that pretty much tells you what that guy can do.”
He said, “Talking about the kind of work he does with the young players: he's always talking to them, he's always trying to impart knowledge – how can you reverse swing, how can I hold the length, what do I do when a certain batsman is in trouble; do I think about taking wickets or do I try to be polite and defensive. Starsy brings a lot of conversation to the table.”
stark joins capitals The team arrived late due to an elbow injury, due to which they had to play their first IPL match of 2026 against Royals on May 1. He has taken nine wickets in five matches, including 3 for 40 in his first game.
On this occasion, Starc could not get going against them in the powerplay, but he took four wickets in the death overs, including three wickets in one over. He finished the game with 4 wickets for 40 runs and earned the Player of the Match award. He was reverse swinging the ball in the death overs, which proved important for him in taking wickets.
He is coming off the back of a stellar campaign in the 2025-26 Ashes, where he demolished England, taking 31 wickets and being named Player of the Series. Starc, along with fellow Australian seamers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, joined the IPL late, with Cricket Australia managing their workload ahead of a tough international calendar. Talking about his position in this matter, Badani said that further action should be taken in similar situations.
Badani said, “I want my players to be available for me from day one and Starc is probably one of the biggest players in my team and we have invested in him and we know he is a match-winner. But if there are some things that are above my pay grade and some things are decided by the associations and governing bodies, then there is very little we can do.”
“If Cricket Australia does not release him, which was also the case with Hazlewood [Royal Challengers Bengaluru] and pat cummins [Sunrisers Hyderabad]As a coach or a franchise, we can't do much about this. “Hopefully we'll have a solution for this in the future.”
The five-wicket win against the Royals ensures that the Capitals have the slimmest hopes of qualifying for the playoffs if other results go in their favour. They play their final game of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders, a must-win match for both sides.
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