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

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

New Delhi: Even as a majority of Delhi Capitals’ Indian contingent educated on the Arun Jaitley Stadium for the primary time for the reason that Indian Premier League (IPL) was suspended on May 8 owing to cross-border tensions with Pakistan, uncertainty persists on the provision of some key abroad gamers. Barring Sri Lankan tempo bowler Dushmantha Chameera, not one of the abroad lot was in attendance on a sultry Thursday night within the nationwide capital.

With fifth-placed DC battling for a playoff berth, Australian spearhead Mitchell Starc’s participation is especially important. The franchise is anticipating to get clarity on the left-armer, who’s a part of Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship ultimate towards South Africa at Lord’s in London from June 11-15, solely on Friday. His Australian teammates Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Travis Head are heading again to their respective IPL franchises for the rest 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’s anyway unlikely to keep for the whole lot of the event ought to Capitals qualify for the playoffs. While Qualifier 1 is slated for May 29 and the ultimate is on June 3, the Proteas Test squad has to depart for the United Kingdom on May 30 forward of a warm-up recreation versus Zimbabwe from June 3.

On Wednesday, DC signed Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman as a alternative for Aussie opener Jake Fraser-McGurk, who didn’t want to return for the enterprise finish of the marketing campaign. But there may be uncertainty over Mustafizur as properly. The 29-year-old hasn’t yet received a no-objection certificates from the Bangladesh Cricket Board, and is a part of his nation’s squad for a T20I sequence towards Pakistan beginning on May 25.

At the coaching session on Thursday, left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was a distinguished absentee. Okay.L. Rahul, who was the primary to have a bat, practised his range-hitting through the session.