Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc will not return to the disrupted IPL.

The world’s richest cricket tournament was suspended last week because of a brief but deadly conflict between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan.

The competition will resume Saturday but faces losing several top stars for the closing stages because of clashes with the schedules of international teams including Australia, England and South Africa.

Four days of drone, missile and artillery exchanges from 7 May left around 70 people, including dozens of civilians, dead on both sides of the border.

Starc’s Delhi Capitals were playing in Dharamsala when a match was abandoned because of what officials said was floodlight failure.

Dharamsala is less than 200km from the town of Jammu, where explosions were reported hours earlier the same day.

The stadium was swiftly evacuated and players including the 35-year-old Starc whisked out of the ground in the team bus.

Starc told the Delhi Capitals that he will not return, Australian media reported, freeing him up to focus on the build-up to his country’s World Test Championship final against South Africa on 11 June at Lord’s.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Delhi team or the IPL.

© Agence France-Presse

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