Mitchell Starc insists he has made peace with the decision to not return for Indian Premier League duties with Delhi Capitals after the 2025 edition was halted for a week due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. The Australian left-arm pacer said he was comfortable with the call to stay home when it resumed. The veteran speedster was in the thick of action on May 8 against Punjab Kings when a blackout emerged in Dharamshala amid fears over Pakistani drones that were later thwarted by the Indian air defence forces. The escalation following the Indian army’s brave execution of ‘Operation Sindoor’ led to the suspension of the game before players, support staff, and everyone else were evacuated to New Delhi. That included Starc’s wife, and the family rushed back to Sydney after the chaotic night. When the IPL resumed following a ceasefire on May 17, Starc was one of the major absentees alongside DC’s other Australian recruit, Jake Fraser-McGurk. The 35-year-old has now broken his silence on the decision, saying he made the call fearing safety concerns and also to not disrupt his original plans and preparations for the World Test Championship versus South Africa, starting June 11. “I’m comfortable with my decision and how I felt about the whole situation and how it was handled. That’s why I made my decision post-that, and my focus changed to red-ball cricket for about a week prior to coming over here,” Starc told The Age from London. The DC pacer said he will be willing to bear the repercussions of his decision if the franchise decides not to retain him or if other sides lead a boycott against him next season. “Time will tell with repercussions or how it looks with guys that didn’t return. But I’ve had my questions and concerns leading into that game, and obviously we saw what happened, which played a part in my decision. Things were handled differently for different players and different teams, the guys up in Dharamsala, the Punjab guys were part of that.” “And while both teams had similar experiences up there, all those guys returned for Punjab, and Jake [Fraser-McGurk] and I chose not to. So it was a very individual decision, and I’m happy to live with whatever comes of that.” Starc was one of the positives in DC’s yet another unsuccessful campaign, taking 14 wickets in 11 matches while playing a crucial role inside the powerplay and at the death. His absence left a huge void for the Capitals to fill as they eventually succumbed to a league-stage exit.