IPL 2025: Starc offers death-bowling masterclass with reverse swing back in fray

Mitchell Starc delivers a masterclass in T20 death bowling, executing yorkers to perfection in a thrilling Super Over victory.

When Mitchell Starc was at the top of his mark for the start of the 20th over of Rajasthan Royals’ run chase on Wednesday (April 16, 2025), pretty much everyone in attendance at the Arun Jaitley Stadium had an inkling of the left-arm pacer’s game plan for the next six balls. That the Aussie would look to spear the ball into the blockhole, and try to deny Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer the chance to get under one and connect.

Having the right thought process is just one part though. For Starc to actually go ahead and execute his plan to near-perfection ball after ball is to deliver a masterclass in T20 death bowling. The Australian conceded just eight runs in the last over and took the contest to a Super Over, also bowled by him, that Delhi Capitals won. It was an emphatic assertion of why he is, along with Jasprit Bumrah, among the very best in the modern game when it comes to nailing his yorkers in the slog overs.

“I’ve played long enough that everyone pretty much knows what I’m going to do. If I can execute more often than not, it’s going to be okay,” Starc said at the post-match presentation.

A teaser of what was to come from the left-armer was on view in the 18th over. Against Nitish Rana, batting on 51, Starc went full and got the ball to tail in sharply, hitting the southpaw flush on his front toe for a leg-before dismissal.

“The reverse swing that we saw from Starc, obviously credit goes to him. But the saliva has made a lot of difference. In the last 2-3 years, reverse swing had gone out of the game. We haven’t been used to facing this even in the nets recently. But Starc was able to execute yorkers at 145kph,” Rana told reporters.

The availability of reverse swing in this IPL is certainly bringing greater balance to the contest between bat and ball. “It is enjoyable to watch and there is competitive cricket being played. Getting reverse swing is one thing, but Starc was executing it under pressure,” DC skipper Axar Patel noted.