Mitchell Starc made a sensational return for Delhi Capitals (DC) on Friday (May 1) against Rajasthan Royals (RR), returning with figures of 3/40 after three months out with shoulder and elbow injuries.

The veteran left-arm pacer dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal with only his third delivery and removed Ravindra Jadeja and Riyan Parag in the 17th over, proving his form and fitness.

Following his successful return to competitive cricket, Starc expressed relief and confidence, noting it was good to get "cobwebs out" and manage his bowling action.

“It's nice to get some cobwebs out, get back to the speed of the game. I think I was good to get some running in the legs, but nice to be back around the guys, get some training in, and then obviously get the win tonight. So, yeah, nice to return. I've been bowling a little bit for a period of weeks, just trying to position my elbow so I can manage the movement," Starc said during the post-match presentation.

The Aussie speedster felt good to get overs under his belt and regain his rhythm after an extended injury hiatus.

"I hadn't bowled to a batter for three months until tonight. So, it's sort of getting back to that speed pretty quickly. I was playing cricket for a while, so in terms of ticking the boxes with skills, I felt I was in a position to do most of what I wanted. Tonight was a good reminder of a few things that make the game. I think I'll be better for the run in the legs for 20 overs, and then now I get into my portion of the tournament," he added.

Starc addressed the visible strapping on his legs, while also laughing off the retirement speculations.

"There's a couple of things. I think we'd laugh if you had three things strapped on and were thinking about retirement, but I'm not quite there yet. But no, it is what it is. It's the cricket life and the world's life. We move on," he concluded.

Coming to the match, the Royals failed to defend a massive total of 225 runs. DC’s opening duo of KL Rahul (75 off 40) and Pathum Nissanka (62 off 33) set the tone with a 110-run partnership. Nitish Rana (33 off 17), Tristan Stubbs (18* off 11) and Ashutosh Sharma (25* off 15) then produced vital cameos to seal the chase with seven wickets and five deliveries to spare.

With this win, the Capitals moved to the sixth spot in the team standings with 8 points from 9 games.