Mitchell Starc disputes accusations of saliva advantage in the 2025 Indian Premier League, saying, “I don’t use it, it’s a myth.”

Mitchell Starc of the Delhi Capitals made news for his opinions on the use of saliva in addition to his game-winning spells following a thrilling Super-Over triumph over the Rajasthan Royals. Saliva is a fiction, according to Mitchell Starc, who denied that it offers any genuine advantage in white-ball cricket.

The towering left-arm bowler, who held Rajasthan to 11 in the Super Over and defended nine runs in the final over, was important 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 perspiration in white-ball cricket.

“I don’t utilise it. It’s a myth, in my opinion. There are those who believe they swear by it. I’m not sure how sweat and saliva differ from one another. It doesn’t seem to matter to me. The red ball may change as a result.

On the white ball, I don’t think it matters,” Mitchell Starc told Star Sports following the game.

Saliva was prohibited in all formats, including the Indian Premier League, after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, after the BCCI removed the limitation for the 2025 IPL, there has been more talk about how it can help bowlers, especially with the traditional white ball.

Data shows 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 either the batters are having trouble with the late movement or 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, Mitchell 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.