Tristan Stubbs will be back for the rest of the league-phase games before leaving for the WTC final

Mitchell Starc has opted not to return to India to play the remaining IPL 2025 matches for Delhi Capitals (DC). Sources indicate that after being involved in the abandoned match in Dharamsala, Starc has informed the franchise that he will not be finishing the league stage. Additionally, Donovan Ferreira, who played one game this season, will also not be rejoining the DC squad.

This decision allows Starc to have ample time to prepare for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final, avoiding any T20 cricket in India in the week leading up to the crucial Test match. Starc has been a key bowler for DC this season, currently holding the most wickets for the team with 14 scalps in 11 matches at an average of 26.14.

While there is still no confirmation regarding Faf du Plessis’s return to DC, Tristan Stubbs has confirmed that he will rejoin the squad but only for the remainder of the league phase before departing for the WTC final.

DC has signed Mustafizur Rahman as a replacement for Jake Fraser-McGurk, who is also not returning to India. However, there is some uncertainty surrounding Mustafizur’s availability as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has stated that they have not yet received a request for a no-objection certificate for the player, who is currently in Sharjah for a T20I series against the UAE.

Among other Australian players in the IPL, Pat Cummins and Travis Head are both set to return to India to join Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Since SRH will finish their season on May 25th and are out of playoff contention, this will give both players sufficient time to prepare for the WTC final.

Josh Hazlewood will assess a minor shoulder injury before deciding whether to rejoin Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for their playoff push. Josh Inglis has yet to decide on his plans to return for Punjab Kings (PBKS), while Mitchell Marsh is expected to return to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).