IPL 2025 | Capitals await clarity on Starc; Stubbs and du Plessis, too, yet to join camp

 Rahul, who was the first to have a bat, practised his range-hitting during the nets.
| Photo Credit: X@DelhiCapitals

New Delhi: Even as a majority of Delhi Capitals’ Indian contingent trained at the Arun Jaitley Stadium for the first time since the Indian Premier League (IPL) was suspended on May 8 owing to cross-border tensions with Pakistan, uncertainty persists on the availability of a few key overseas players. Barring Sri Lankan pace bowler Dushmantha Chameera, none of the overseas lot was in attendance on a sultry Thursday evening in the national capital.

With fifth-placed DC battling for a playoff berth, Australian spearhead Mitchell Starc’s participation is particularly essential. The franchise is expecting to get clarity on the left-armer, who is part of Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in London from June 11-15, only on Friday. His Australian teammates Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head are heading back to their respective IPL franchises for the remainder of the league stage.

The South African duo of Tristan Stubbs and Faf du Plessis, too, is yet to join the DC camp. In Stubbs’ case, he is anyway unlikely to stay for the entirety of the tournament should Capitals qualify for the playoffs. While Qualifier 1 is slated for May 29 and the final is on June 3, the Proteas Test squad has to leave for the United Kingdom on May 30 ahead of a warm-up game versus Zimbabwe from June 3.

On Wednesday, DC signed Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman as a replacement for Aussie opener Jake Fraser-McGurk, who did not wish to return for the business end of the campaign. But there is uncertainty over Mustafizur as well. The 29-year-old hasn’t yet got a no-objection certificate from the Bangladesh Cricket Board, and is part of his country’s squad for a T20I series against Pakistan starting on May 25.

At the training session on Thursday, left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was a prominent absentee. K.L. Rahul, who was the first to have a bat, practised his range-hitting during the session.