Kevin Pietersen and KL Rahul are working together at the Delhi Capitals this season.
Their bond has been much talked about ever since Rahul took a dig at Pietersen over an old tweet criticizing his batting as well as the mid-season Maldives trip.
The IPL 2025 marked a fresh start for Rahul as he linked up with DC. He was signed for INR 14 crore at the mega-auction last November, following his release from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
The wicketkeeper-batter has delivered strong performances for the Capitals so far, excelling in both top and middle-order roles, having amassed 371 runs in nine games at a strike rate of 146.06 and an average of 53.
Rahul’s performances have left a lasting impression on Pietersen, who advocated for the Indian batter’s comeback to the national T20I side.
“You guys have all seen on social media my relationship with KL, and I am still working on it. It is getting better, it is improving. We gave him a couple of days to relax, these last couple of days," Pietersen said while speaking at an event, with Rahul sitting beside him and smiling.
“But it is getting better. So hopefully by the end of the tournament, we will be friends. Hopefully," he added.
Rahul was seventh at the end of IPL 2024 in the Orange Cap race with 520 runs for LSG. His exploits this season feature three half-centuries, including an unbeaten 93-run knock from just 53 balls against RCB in Bengaluru.
“KL has been playing in a very positive manner since late last year, mid to late last year. We saw how he finished off a couple of the games for India and almost sealed the deal in the Champions Trophy in Dubai," Pietersen stated.
“I’ve had a lot of incredibly brilliant conversations with him about batting, a lot of deep and meaningful conversations because when you grow up as a youngster like he did and you get taught defence, elbow up, play in the V and then all of a sudden in your 30s, you’ve got to change it and you’ve got to become a different kind of player for a different format which is evolving all the time," he remarked.
Delhi Capitals’ next match is scheduled against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 5 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.