Australian speedster Mitchell Starc has reportedly decided against returning to India for the remainder of the IPL, dealing a blow to his team Delhi Capitals' prospects of reaching the playoffs.
According to the 'Australian Associated Press', Starc has told the franchise that he wouldn't be rejoining the team a week after being part of the match in Dharamsala that was called off due to security reasons following air raid alerts in nearby areas.
The league was suspended next day due to a military showdown between India and Pakistan, only for the BCCI to announce a resumption of the event from May 17 after getting necessary clearances from the government following a ceasefire.
An integral part of the Delhi Capitals setup, Starc is the team's highest wicket-taker so far this season with 14 scalps in 11 matches at 26.14, and his absence will be definitely felt in their upcoming matches as they seek to enter the playoffs.
Starc's wife and Australia women's team captain Alyssa Healy recently shared a gripping account of the night of "complete madness" when the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was called off midway in Dharamsala.
"Couple of the light towers went out and we were just there waiting. I heard a rumour a couple of seats down that we might have to evacuate the stadium cause the lights gone down," Healy said on the 'WillowTalk' podcast.
"And we are large group of family and extra support staff. And next minute the guy that kind of wrangles the group of us and gets us on the bus comes up and his face was white.
"And he was like, we need to go right now. And we were saying, 'oh, it's okay'. Like we're probably best off letting everyone else get out of the stadium and like stay here. We're probably safer at the moment. Cause there'll be people going down the stairs everywhere," she added.
Floodlight failure cited as the initial reason for the game's suspension. Healy was in the stands along with family members of other players.
A confirmation is still awaited on whether Faf du Plessis would be returning to DC, while Tristan Stubbs has said he is rejoining the team but only for the rest of the league phase, after which he would be leaving for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
DC have signed Mustafizur Rahman as a replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk, who isn't returning to India, though doubts remain over the left-arm seamer's participation with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) saying it hadn't been approached for a no-objection certificate for the cricketer.
