Injured Starc ruled out of the IPL

Fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the fourth Test and the Indian Premier League due to a tibial bone stress reaction in his right leg.

Starc was replaced for the final Test against South Africa by South Australia’s Chadd Sayers and will fly home after the series for further injury investigation and assessment.

The left-armer was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for $1.8 million at the IPL auction in January, but will not take place in the lucrative tournament this season.

Starc is the third Australian in as many days to be ruled out of the tournament after the BCCI banned Steve Smith and David Warner.

On match eve, Starc bowled out in the middle to Australia’s new Test squad members with team physiotherapist David Beakley watching on.

But the 28-year-old was deemed not fit to play at The Wanderers and now faces an extended stint on the sidelines.

In the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, the loss of Starc is another big blow for Australia who must win the fourth Test to draw the series two-all. Australia have not lost a Test series in South Africa since 1970.

While Starc is one the deadliest Twenty20 bowlers in the world, he has not played in the IPL since 2015 when he lined up for Royal Challengers Bangalore alongside elite batsmen Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

In fact, Starc has played just three T20s since the end of the 2015 IPL: one match against England in August 2015 and two matches against Sri Lanka 13 months later.

It’s the third Test series in a row where Starc has missed at least one Test.

In India 12 months ago, a stress fracture to his foot ruled him out of the final two Tests which lead him to miss the two-Test series against Bangladesh later in the year.

A foot injury again proved his undoing in the Magellan Ashes as well where he missed the Boxing Day Test. 

Starc was named man of the match in the first Test for his match haul of 9-109 in Australia’s 118-run win in Durban, but captured only three wickets in the next two Tests as he battled a sore calf.

Starc was set to join fellow Australians Mitchell Johnson and Chris Lynn at KKR this year and Lynn was expecting some hostile net sessions against the two rapid left-armers.

"Starcy was devastated when I rolled over and did my shoulder because then it would have been just him and Mitchell Johnson (left as Australians on KKR’s list),” Lynn told cricket.com.au last week.

"There's going to be some fiery net sessions.

"I'm really keen and Starcy's keen to be involved and that's why Kolkata went so hard at him."

Qantas tour of South Africa

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, AB de Villiers.

Australia squad: Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

Warm-up match: Australia beat South Africa A by five wickets. Report, highlights

First Test Australia won by 118 runs. Scorecard

Second Test South Africa won by six wickets. Scorecard

Third Test South Africa won by 322 runs. Scorecard

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3. Live coverage