The IPL 2026 preparations are in full force as all ten franchises have been notified to present their retention titles by November 15th. A mini-auction is going to be held from December 13th to 15th. Up to now, there are rumors that the Delhi Capitals are planning to get rid of Mitchell Starc, which can be regarded as the most significant news prior to the upcoming auction.
The reason is kept secret, but if one relies on the reports, it might be due to commitment issues, since Starc had already turned down the second phase of IPL 2026 saying it was due to the war-like situation between India and Pakistan.
Starc had a super season, and if he had liked the idea of playing, then DC’s possibilities of going to the next round would have been increased tremendously. The Australian fast bowler claimed 14 wickets in just 11 games, one of them being a five-wicket haul.
Teams target Mitchell Starc in IPL 2026 mini auction
1. Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH have no real pace bowler in their team and the signing of Mitchell Starc can positively help the team. Other than captain Pat Cummins, the Orange Army has Shami, Unadkat, and Malinga in the fast bowling unit.
Shami hasn’t been the same bowler since he got injured in his heel, while Jaydev hasn’t done the job of the leading seamer. But SRH does not have a bowler who can be their go-to man in the first over and also bowl the pressure finale in the death – which is made for Mitchell Starc.
2. Kolkata Knight Riders
For KKR, Mitchell Starc was in IPL 2024, which saw his comeback to IPL 2024. Starc had a below average season but they turned around in the knockout stage and ultimately assisted KKR to take the cups.
Nevertheless, the three-time winners released Starc in IPL 2025 and they paid the price as their bowling attack lacked genuine quicks. This KKR mentions, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje, and Spencer Johnson as their bowlers.
On the other side, both Nortje and Johnson are now suffering from injuries, and therefore the KKR’s management may consider bringing back Starc to resolve the crisis in their fast-bowling department.
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3. Lucknow Super Giants
The team that is most in need of a real seamer is the Lucknow Super Giants. The team led by Rishabh Pant had to work hard on their fast bowlers as Akash Deep, Mayank Yadav and other bowlers were not able to cope with the demands of fitness.
By bringing in Starc, the Super Giants will have no problem in giving a new lease of life to the aerial dynamics of their bowling by replacing Shamar Joseph and others.
