In a news that will excite the Delhi Capitals (DC) fans, former England captain Kevin Pietersen has joined the men’s team in a mentor capacity ahead of the IPL 2025. Pietersen's first IPL coaching duty will be this one. In 2016, he made his final league appearance.
For five seasons starting in 2009, Pietersen played for three IPL teams, including Delhi (then known as the Daredevils), and he even captained the team 17 times. He captained the Daredevils for the entire 2014 IPL season, when they finished at the bottom of the league with two victories in 14 games.
The 44-year-old will join Hemang Badani (head coach), Matthew Mott (assistant coach), Munaf Patel (bowling coach), and Venugopal Rao (director of cricket) in the DC backroom.
Pietersen also captained England across 15 internationals, including a two-match Test series in India in 2008.
Pietersen maintained a personal relationship with Kiran Kumar Grandhi, chairman of GMR, the co-owners of the DC franchise. He had helped broker a deal between GMR and Hampshire County Cricket Club in September last year.
Pietersen has played in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL), and Big Bash League (BBL) in addition to the IPL. He played 200 Twenty20 matches in total, scoring 5695 runs at a strike rate of little under 137 and an average of 33.89.
Delhi Capitals announced Kevin Pietersen’s appointment on their social handles. They captioned the post: “Tell the world, KP is back home!”
Kevin Pietersen also shared his excitement to be back in the Delhi fold for the IPL 2025. He stated that he loves the city and the fans and will help DC in their quest for IPL title win.
"I'm so excited to come home to Delhi! I have the fondest memories of my time with Delhi. I love the city, I love the fans and I’ll do everything I can to support the franchise in our quest for the title in 2025!" Pietersen posted on X.
