JOHANNESBURG: Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the fourth Test against South Africa as well as the Indian Premier League because of a stress fracture in his lower right leg.
Captain Tim Paine said at the toss on Friday that Starc had been “battling some injuries throughout the tour” and had been rested from the final Test.
But Cricket Australia’s website later stated that his injury was a stress fracture and that he would fly home after the Test for further assessment.
Starc had been signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the IPL, which starts on April 7.
He is the third high-profile Australian to be ruled out of the lucrative tournament following the cancelation of the contracts of Steve Smith and David Warner, both banned by Cricket Australia for their part in the ball tampering controversy during the South African Test series.
Starc was man of the match in the first Test in Durban but only took three wickets for 304 runs in the next two Tests.
It is understood that in accordance with the Player Regulations, KKR will now be allowed to choose a replacement from the Registered and Available Player Pool. Two-time champions KKR open their IPL 2018 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 8.
Injured Australia bowler Mitchel Starc to miss Indian Premier League
Injured Australia bowler Mitchel Starc to miss Indian Premier League
CUPRA KIRO drivers excited for Formula E double-header in Jeddah
- Pepe Marti ready to build on strong finish in Miami
- Dan Ticktum hoping for a change of fortunes in Saudi Arabia
JEDDAH: Drivers from the CUPRA KIRO team said they are looking forward to getting out on the Jeddah track this weekend for the FIA Formula E World Championship.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is the venue for the first double-header of the 2025/26 season, with Rounds 4 and 5 taking place on Friday and Saturday.
Spain’s Pepe Marti, who finished ninth in the last round in Miami, is hoping to carry his momentum to Saudi Arabia.
“I’m very excited to race in Jeddah this weekend,” he said. “I’ve raced here in the past with Formula 2 and finished on the podium, so it’ll be good to be in a familiar environment for the first time this season.
“Obviously, the track layout is completely different, but we’re arriving here after consecutive points finishes in Mexico City and Miami so hopefully, we can maintain this streak and hopefully, aim for something that’s higher than seventh – our best result so far this season.”
Teammate Dan Ticktum is expecting his luck to improve after failing to finish a race this season.
“Jeddah is one of the best circuits on the calendar, and I’m looking forward to driving the track this weekend,” the British driver said. “We showed some good pace in Jeddah last season, and we have two races with it being a double-header. Hopefully we can score some points, finally.”
Russell O’Hagan, CUPRA KIRO team principal, said:
“We’re arriving in Jeddah after a short turnaround from Miami, but everyone in the team has worked exceptionally hard to put us in the best possible position. We were quite competitive here in 2025, and although not everything has aligned yet this season, we’re in a much stronger position now compared to where we were 12 months ago.”
Jeddah is the new home of Formula E in Saudi Arabia after six successful seasons racing in Diriyah.
