Delhi Capitals’ pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has rubbished the idea that bringing saliva back into play has made any meaningful difference to fast bowlers using the white ball in IPL 2025 koon. Speaking after his match-winning Super Over performance against Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Starc called the effectiveness of saliva on the white ball a “myth,” saying it might help with red-ball swing, but has negligible impact in the shorter format.

“I don’t use it. I think it’s a myth,” Mitchell Starc remarked bluntly when asked about saliva’s reintroduction this season. “Some people swear by it, but I don’t reckon it makes any real difference on the white ball. It can help the red ball in Tests, sure. But in T20s, not really.” His comments stand in contrast to fellow quicks like Mohit Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj, who have credited saliva for restoring shine and aiding swing in recent matches.

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Starc certainly didn’t need any artificial assistance to make an impact on Wednesday. With the match poised on a knife’s edge, he showcased textbook execution under pressure — first defending nine runs in the final over to force a tie, and then bowling a tight Super Over where RR could only manage 10 runs despite a no-ball.

Mitchell Starc said, “I didn’t use Saliva on the ball tonight. It’s a myth, I don’t believe it helps reserving in white ball”. pic.twitter.com/JZPwlWbd8m

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) April 16, 2025

Reflecting on the Super Over, Starc admitted he was a bit taken aback by Rajasthan Royals’ decision to send in left-handers Shimron Hetmyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal to face him. “Yeah, I was a little surprised. With my angle tailing the ball back into the left-handers, it probably played into my strengths a bit more,” he said. “But I just stuck to my plans. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t — a bit of luck helps too.”

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Despite bowling a no-ball, Starc held his nerve, allowing DC’s batters — KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs — to chase down the target with confidence and seal a thrilling win. With this victory, Delhi Capitals climbed to the top of the table, and Starc once again reminded the cricketing world why he remains one of the most feared bowlers in crunch moments.