IPL 2025, DC v SRH: Mitchell Starc reflects on maiden T20 five-wicket haul, ‘there’s life in the old dog yet!’

Was Mitchell Starc worth ₹24.75 crore last year? Is he worth ₹11.75 crore in IPL 2025? To ask those questions is to be ignorant of auction dynamics. No player is inherently ‘worth’ X or Y. If they are in an auction, they are worth the price they were bid for. Simple.

That said, it is a bit ironic that Starc has begun IPL 2025 with eight wickets in two games for his new team Delhi Capitals, including a match-winning 5/35 against pre-tournament favourites Sunrisers Hyderabad, and holds the Purple Cap.

When he was paid more than double of his current salary last year, he began the IPL with some off-colour performances. As with mutual funds, there is a fine print for each player: prices paid at the auction are no guarantee of on-field success.

Starc, and the vagaries of T20 cricket

In the two playoffs games last year and two league games this year, Starc has taken 13 wickets in just 14.4 overs in four games. Three of those games have been against SRH, the most fearsome batting line-up in the last two years. He has gone at 9.6 runs per over, which is actually pretty good for a powerplay and death bowler in the Impact Player era.

And the strike rate of picking almost one wicket per over is elite. More than elite. It’s perhaps not a rate that is sustainable. But that’s the thing with T20 cricket: a Mitchell Starc can seem off over a number of games, and then have another run where he’s spectacular. In reality, his quality might not have varied much, but the nature of T20 is such that small errors can be magnified, while success can feed off itself.

The leader of Delhi Capitals’ attack

That doesn’t mean that the bowler cannot do something himself to increase the chances of success. Starc showed all his nous and smarts against SRH. He bowled three overs in the powerplay, because his team needed early wickets to neutralise SRH’s firepower, and he stepped up magnificently.

Ishan Kishan’s wicket was a bit fortunate, with a short and wide one being slashed to the lone man at deep point. But Nitish Reddy and Travis Head were all Starc. Nitish was beaten by a clever change of pace, and Head was done in by an even cleverer change of length. Nitish spooned one in the circle, while Head got a very sharp short ball outside off that he could only tickle through to the keeper.

Three big wickets, and SRH were in disarray. For the third time in three straight games against them, Starc had proved too hot to handle.

‘Life in the old dog, yet!’

Starc had an action-packed Sunday, speaking to the broadcasters before the match, at the innings break right after his fifer, then at the end too as the Player of the Match.

Before the game, he said, “Obviously the bat heavily dominates ball in the last season in particular. With the two out (in the powerplay), I don’t think there’s any preconceived plans anymore. I think you’ve got to come with a general blueprint and then think really outside the box.”

At the mid-point, he offered, “At 35 I know I’m not young, but hopefully there’s still a little life left in the old dog!” And at the end, he came back with, “I’m not sure there’s too many egos in the bowlers these days in T20 cricket – it’s just you hang on for your life sometimes! I’ve played for long enough that guys know what I’m trying to do… it was nice to bowl different balls today and still be effective.”

They were all valuable nuggets, but perhaps the one that will reassure Delhi Capitals the most was Starc saying he hadn’t put a time on when he would hang his boots, because he was still enjoying the cricket and the competitiveness. There will be days when Starc goes for a lot of runs. But DC will take those days, because they know that when it counts, more often than not, Starc will have days like Sunday.

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