Kevin Pietersen named Delhi Capitals mentor ahead of IPL 2025
What's the story
Former England cricket team captain, Kevin Pietersen, has been named the mentor of Delhi Capitals for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
The franchise announced the news on its app on February 27.
This will be Pietersen's first coaching role in the IPL, a tournament he last played in as a player back in 2016.
Here are further details.
Team collaboration
Pietersen to join Delhi Capitals's backroom staff
Pietersen will be joining an experienced backroom staff at Delhi Capitals which includes Hemang Badani (head coach), Matthew Mott (assistant coach), Munaf Patel (bowling coach), and Venugopal Rao (director of cricket).
The franchise is yet to announce its captain for the forthcoming season.
Pietersen's appointment as mentor is expected to bring a wealth of experience and strategic insight to the team.
Career recap
Pietersen's IPL journey and leadership experience
Pietersen has a rich history with the IPL, having represented three different franchises over five seasons since 2009.
He captained Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for a full season in 2014.
Despite the team's disappointing performance that year, Pietersen's leadership skills were evident as he also led England in 15 international matches, including a two-match Test series against India in 2008.
Enduring relationship
Pietersen's enduring ties with Delhi Capitals's co-owner
Since his time as Delhi captain in IPL 2014, Pietersen has kept a close association with GMR chairman and Delhi Capitals franchise co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi.
Last September, he was instrumental in brokering a major deal between GMR and Hampshire County Cricket Club.
This long-standing association is likely to further bolster his position as mentor for the team.
T20 achievements
Pietersen's T20 career and Delhi Capitals's IPL journey
Apart from the IPL, Pietersen has also featured in other major T20 leagues including the Big Bash League (BBL), Pakistan Super League (PSL), and Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
He played 200 T20s, scoring 5,695 runs at an average of 33.89 and a strike rate of just under 137.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals finished sixth in IPL 2024 and entered last year's auction with the third-biggest purse among all 10 teams.
Roster revamp
Delhi Capitals's revamped roster and coaching success
After letting go of most of their star players, Delhi Capitals retained just Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs and Abishek Porel.
They then brought in stars like KL Rahul, Harry Brook, Faf du Plessis and Mitchell Starc.
The team's Indian support staff - Badani, Rao and Munaf - recently guided Dubai Capitals to the ILT20 title.
It was the first trophy by a Capitals side in men's or women's tournaments across the world.