IPL 2025: Delhi Capitals Handed Boost After Mitchell Starc Reveals Reasons For Champions Trophy Withdrawal

Delhi Capitals can breath a huge sigh of relief after Australian pacer Mitchell Starc kind of confirmed his availability for IPL 2025 when he revealed the reasons behind his withdrawal from the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan and UAE.

Australia were dealt a blow in the lead up to the ICC event when Starc joined Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh as players to miss the Champions Trophy either due to injury or personal reasons.

As the Champions Trophy is taking place just a month before the Indian Premier League kick starts it's 18th season, any injury or player withdrawal comes as a worry for the franchises, who splashed clash on these international stars, especially pace bowlers in Starc and Cummins, who are still the most expensive foreign players in IPL history.

While Cummins had confirmed his availability for Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier this month, Starc also may have followed suit as the left-arm pacer explained why he pulled out of the Champions Trophy just a week ahead of the tournament.

Starc was originally named in Australia's preliminary squad for the eight-team event but was a notable absentee when the two-time champions revealed their final group of 15 players earlier this month.

Australia said at the time that Starc had withdrawn from the tournament due to personal reasons and they supported the move. The experienced quick has provided further clarity on why he isn't part of the Aussies' Champions Trophy campaign.

Starc elaborated on the topic when speaking on the Willow Talk podcast in Australia, suggesting the main reason he decided to give Champions Trophy a miss was to ensure he would be available for the World Test Championship Final against South Africa in London in June.

"There are a few different reasons, some personal views. I had a bit of ankle pain through the Test series, so I just need to get that one right. Obviously, we have the Test final coming up and a West Indies tour after that," Starc said as quoted by ICC.

The 35-year-old, who featured regularly for Australia from November to January, also hinted that he wants use the IPL as a platform to be ready for the WTC Final in June, but the left-arm pacer has not revealed if he will be available from the start of the lucrative leage or if he will be available for the entire tournament.

"There is some IPL cricket as well. The main one at the top of my mind is the Test final. Get my body right, play some cricket in the next couple of months, and then ready to go for the Test final," Starc added.

Delhi Capitals, who made a big change to their squad at the IPL Mega Auction last year, bought Starc for Rs 11.75 Crore after intense bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Coming back to the Champions Trophy, the likes of Spencer Johnson, Ben Dwarshuis, and Nathan Ellis have performed well in the absence of Starc and Co as the Aussies commenced their tournament with a stirring victory over arch-rival England.

But, the Aussies were made to wait to confirm their semi-final qualification after their match against South Africa ended in a washout with both teams sharing a point each. Australia will now face Afghanistan in a virtual quarterfinal on Friday (February 28) in Lahore.