Delhi Capitals player Mitchell Starc. (PTI)

New Delhi: Australia seamer Mitchell Starc will not be returning for the remainder of Indian Premier League 2025 and it’s reliably understood that he has had a word with Delhi Capitals (DC) management regarding the same. There was a lot of suspense around the left-armer’s availability after the tournament was suspended due to the cross-border tensions but DC are now preparing for life without Starc.The Axar Patel-led unit had their first practice session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday and Dushmantha Chameera was the only overseas player present. It is learnt that Faf du Plessis and Tristian Stubbs will be joining the team soon and mentor Kevin Pietersen, who returned home during the suspension period, will linkup with the squad on May 16.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!They take on Gujarat Titans next at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on May 18 but will be training at the franchise’s training ground in Aerocity on Friday. Gujarat Titans reached Delhi in the evening on May 15 and are scheduled to have their training session on May 16. A lot of teams are grappling with players’ availability issues after the IPL got a new schedule earlier this week. Due to the international commitments, a lot of big names will be missing the business end of the tournament. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has allowed the franchises to make temporary replacements to address this issue. Delhi Capitals have already signed Mustafizur Rahman as a replacement for Jake Fraser-Mcgurk and GT too have roped in Kusal Mendis for Jos Buttler, who will be unavailable for the playoffs.