The Delhi Capitals’ Mitchell Starc made news for his opinions on the use of saliva in addition to his game-winning moments following a thrilling Super-Over triumph over the Rajasthan Royals. Starc called the idea that saliva gives a genuine edge in white-ball cricket a fiction.
The tall, left-arm bowler, who held Rajasthan to 11 in the Super Over and defended nine runs in the last over, was pivotal in the Capitals’ victory. Although he received a lot of accolades for his yorker execution, he didn’t think the saliva helped and preferred to use sweat in white-ball cricket instead.
“I don’t utilise it.” It is a myth, in my opinion. Some people believe they adhere to it religiously. I have no idea how sweat and saliva differ from one another. I don’t think it matters. On the red ball, it might have an impact.
After the game, Mitchell Starc told Star Sports, “I don’t think it makes a difference on the white ball.”
Saliva was prohibited in all sports, including the IPL, after the COVID-19 epidemic. However, after the BCCI lifted the limitation for the 2025 Indian Premier League, there has been more talk about how it can help bowlers, especially with the traditional white ball.
Data indicates that bigger deliveries, particularly yorkers, have been more cost-effective than shorter ones in the last overs for the first time this decade. That indicates that the batters are having trouble with the late movement or that the bowlers are performing their yorkers more effectively, perhaps with the aid of reverse swing.
With 10 wickets in six games, including a five-wicket haul against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Starc is one of the IPL’s most influential bowlers this season, although he attributes his success more to perspiration than saliva. He bowled the 18th and 20th overs, keeping Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel quiet under duress and removing Nitish Rana with a swinging yorker.
The Australian speedster often produced yorkers and forced two run-outs in the Super Over, despite a no-ball, ultimately leading Delhi to their fifth victory of the year.
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