Mitchell Starc and Hemang Badani
New Delhi: Delhi Capitals kept their slim IPL 2026 playoff hopes alive with a five-wicket win. Rajasthan Royals On Sunday, but even after the victory, the focus remained on the season-long issue that has repeatedly plagued their campaign – player availability.The win lifted DC to 12 points, level with Chennai Super Kings and RR, although they finished seventh on net run rate. With a game to go against Kolkata Knight Riders – the last league fixture of the season – DC’s fate could be decided before it takes the field.The head coach after the match in Delhi Hemang Badani DC addressed one of the biggest talking points of the season: the intermittent availability of key overseas players, particularly Mitchell Starc. ‘Ideally I want my players from day one’Badani explained that losing access to players due to decisions by the national board has left the franchises with little control.“Ideally I would like my players to be available to me from day one,” he said. Starc is probably one of my 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 that are decided by associations and governing bodies, there’s very little we can do.”The DC coach pointed to a wider pattern involving Australian players. “Because if Cricket Australia doesn’t release him, which was the case with Hazlewood, with Pete Cummins, there’s very little a coach or a franchise can do about it. Hopefully we’ll have a solution in the future.”Stark turns the game — and earns glowing praise.Stark showed exactly why DC was eager to keep him available throughout the campaign. The left-hander picked up four wickets in quick succession, including a decisive three-wicket haul that derailed RR after they were 160/2 in 14 overs.Badani praised the Australian’s professionalism, calling him one of the best role models for young players.“He’s probably one of the best role models anyone can have in the game. His work ethic, his preparation before the game, his own plans and his training, is par for the course,” Badani said. “I don’t even see him with a lot of younger guys. That’s why he’s lasted so long.”The coach also highlighted Starc’s off-field impact on Delhi’s young bowlers.“He’s always talking to them, trying to pass on knowledge – how do you reverse swing, how do I get the length, what do I do when a batsman is struggling. Starsi does a lot of talking at the table,” he said.Badani said Starc was signed specifically because he had the ability to make an impact at all stages of the innings.“He was someone who loved pressure, someone who could hit a length ball and bowl in all three phases at the same time. He could also bowl in the powerplay if needed. And if you go back and look at the recent Ashes series, he single-handedly won them the Ashes,” Badani added.
