Kevin Pietersen, the Delhi Capitals' (DC) coach, blew up at the media when asked about seamer T. Natarajan's absence from their playing XI in the IPL 2025. The left-arm seamer was bought for a record Rs 10.75 crore at the mega auction.
However, he has failed to play a single game for Delhi this season, as Mukesh Kumar, Mohit Sharma, and Dushmantha Chameera have all been selected over him.
Pietersen was recently asked why Delhi had not made Natarajan play a single game despite spending so much money on him. The DC mentor responded sharply to the question, saying they can only play with 12 players, one of whom is an impact substitute.
He further asked the journalist to advise him about where he fits in the playing XI and said that he would include him in the team if they’re somehow allowed to play with 13-14 players.
“We can only play 12 players, one being an impact player. And if you can tell me where he fits in at the moment, you would help us. If you can help us play 13-14, it would help us. One thing I can say about Natarajan is that he's doing everything that he's been asked to do, as are all of our players. What's been so impressive about our setup is how good the guys are that are not playing, and they know that their chance is coming. They know that their chance is just around the corner,” said Pietersen in the post-match press conference after the game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Delhi.
Pietersen used Donovan Ferreira as an example, saying that he was ready for his chance against the Gujarat Titans and that all of the players are ready to play whenever the occasion arises.
“You had a look at Donovan the other night; he turned up and faced a couple of balls against GT. I mean that was spur of the moment, but he was ready. It didn't work out, but he was ready, and all of our players are ready. Anything can happen again. Look at what I think Phil Salt went down with—a viral. We've had a few players that have gone down the night before a game because of a virus or some sort of illness. So all our players are ready, and Natu is again; he's chomping at the bit to get there,” he added.
The former English cricketer also claimed that the amount of money invested is irrelevant when creating a playing XI, praising DC's depth.
“I don't want to talk about money. This competition's long gone, money. In the Premier League, people don't talk about how much money the football is on, so that conversation for me is dead. It's more about the impact of a player and a team and when the player is ready to be selected and if you can make space for him. We're lucky we're in a good position where we've got Jake, who's off the field. Faf came back today. Natu's off the field. Like we've got some very good strength, really good depth in our squad,” Pietersen concluded.
The Axar Patel-led side now finds itself in the fourth spot with six wins from nine matches, having 12 points to its name. They will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on 29th April at their home ground, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
(PTI inputs)
