Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly shared his views on the uncertainty surrounding Mitchell Starc’s availability for the start of IPL 2026. Ganguly addressed the growing concern among franchises over last-minute player availability. The issue came into focus after Delhi Capitals, in a recent press conference, mentioned that they were still awaiting a green signal from Cricket Australia regarding Starc’s participation. The lack of clarity has left the franchise in a difficult position and dealt a blow to their bowling attack. Ganguly, in his views, stated that these situations disrupt the team balance.
"It hurts... because when quality players don't come in at the last minute, it shakes the balance of the team," Ganguly said during a brand endorsement.
"It hurts because I've always said making an Indian team is easier than making an IPL team. Because the best players are available all the time to be picked. IPL is 10 teams, and players get distributed. And when quality players don't come in at the last minute, obviously it shakes up the balance of the team."
Ganuly pointed out that replacing a player of Starc’s calibre is not easy, as his performance is of a different level.
"Because the substitutes, the availability is not as strong as the one who has not turned up... But in IPL if Mitchell Starc misses out or Pathirana misses out, the void is very hard to fill. So that's one of the challenges."