Mitchell Starc shows 'Don't Care' attitude over potential IPL ban for ditching Delhi Capitals

Just days before the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc grabbed headlines for his statement on his bold decision not to return to India to play the remainder of the IPL 2025 for Delhi Capitals.

Mitchell Starc opted not to return to India after the IPL 2025 resumed following a temporary suspension due to intensified cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. He had made up his mind after finding himself in a terrifying situation near the India-Pakistan border.

During an IPL 2025 group match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala, chaos erupted as an air raid alert led to confusion and panic among the fans and players. Players of both teams were stuck for hours, stranded in cars and trains with no clear updates on the situation.

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Mitchell Starc breaks silence on his IPL 2025 exit after India-Pakistan war

This disturbing experience changed everything for the Australian pace ace. While other overseas and even Australian players eventually rejoined their teams for the remainder of the IPL 2025, Starc decided not to take the risk, irrespective of the consequences of his move.

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Instead, the pacer has shifted his full focus to preparing for the WTC Final 2025 against South Africa which is scheduled to get underway on June 11 at Lord’s. However, it wasn’t an easy call for Starc, especially with the pressure of franchise expectations, but he chose peace of mind.

Now, as he gears up to lead Australia’s pace attack in the WTC Final 2025, Starc stands firm on his decision. Starc said that time will tell with repercussions and how the BCCI and the IPL teams deal with the players who didn’t return for the remainder of the season.

I’m comfortable with my decision: Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc was quoted as saying by The Age, “I’m comfortable with my decision and how I felt about the whole situation and how it was handled. That’s why I made my decision post-that, and my focus changed to red-ball cricket for about a week prior to coming over here.”

"Time will tell with repercussions or how it looks with guys that didn’t return. But I’ve had my questions and concerns leading into that game, and obviously, we saw what happened, which played a part in my decision. There was a little bit of that to my decision around the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. And then once the tournament was delayed you start to think about guys’ preparation for the Test match," he added.

The star pacer further noted that what he saw in Dharamshala and security concerns played a major role in his decision to skip the last few matches for the Delhi Capitals post-India-Pakistan war. He stressed that it was his personal decision, and he was ready to face the consequences of his decision.

Star explained, “Things were handled differently for different players and different teams. The guys up in Dharamsala, the Punjab guys, were part of that, and while both teams had similar experiences up there, all those guys returned for Punjab, and Jake [Fraser-McGurk] and I chose not to. So, it was a very individual decision, and I’m happy to live with whatever comes of that.”

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Mitchell Starc ready to face the consequences of his decision to skip IPL 2025 due to security reasons

Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc has missed many IPL seasons before to look after his body and stay fit and ready for international cricket. But this time, things were different. The Australian pacer said that this was the first time he had pulled out due to security reasons.

Before the start of this season, the BCCI had made it clear that players who would pull out after being picked in the auction would face a two-season ban for the move. However, Starc said that he is still fully committed to DC, but this was his personal call, and he is ready to face whatever happens next.

Starc signed off by saying, “I’m still heavily committed to the Delhi group, and I’m not someone that’s gone into tournaments and pulled out after being picked up in an auction or whatever that looks like. These are different circumstances. It was more a question of not having enough information leading into making a decision [about] things of that degree. I had a discussion back home, then came to a decision, and whatever comes from that, I’m comfortable with that, and we move forward.”