IPL 2025: Kevin Pietersen Appointed as Mentor for Delhi Capitals
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Synopsis
Delhi Capitals have appointed Kevin Pietersen as their mentor for the IPL 2025 season. The former England captain's extensive experience and insights are expected to enhance the team's performance. This role marks a new chapter in Pietersen's career post-retirement from professional cricket.
Key Takeaways
- Kevin Pietersen joins Delhi Capitals as mentor.
- This is Pietersen's first coaching role.
- He previously played for the franchise in 2012 and 2014.
- Pietersen has a rich T20 and international cricket experience.
- Matthew Mott has been appointed as assistant coach.
New Delhi, Feb 27 (NationPress) Delhi Capitals (DC) have officially revealed that former England captain Kevin Pietersen will assume the role of mentor for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). This announcement was made through their fan engagement app on Thursday.
Pietersen will join the DC coaching ensemble, which includes head coach Hemang Badani, director of cricket Venugopal Rao, bowling coach Munaf Patel, and assistant coach Matthew Mott. This marks Pietersen's debut in a support staff position with a cricket team, as his career post-retirement has largely revolved around commentary roles, including in the IPL.
Previously, Pietersen played for DC, formerly known as Delhi Daredevils, in IPL seasons 2012 and 2014, where he scored 305 and 294 runs respectively. Notably, he captained the franchise in 17 matches, with DC finishing last in the standings after securing only two wins out of 14 matches in 2014.
With a wealth of experience from 200 T20 matches and 5,695 runs, Pietersen has participated in 36 IPL matches, accumulating 1001 runs during his time with the Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Pune franchises. The South African-born cricketer, who led England from 2008 to 2009, was honored with the Player of the Series award for his exceptional performance in the 2010 ICC T20 World Cup, which enabled England to win their first ICC trophy.
Throughout his distinguished international career, Pietersen has played in 104 Tests, amassing 8,181 runs, and 136 ODIs, where he scored 4,440 runs.
Interestingly, when the GMR Group acquired full ownership of the Hampshire County Cricket Club, the team Pietersen represented from 2005-2010, for nearly £120 million in September last year, it was revealed that he played a role in facilitating the deal due to his friendship with GMR chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi and Rod Bransgrove, the chairman of the club's parent company.
Parth Jindal, co-owner of Delhi Capitals, remarked, "KP was arguably one of the best modern-day batters, and his inclusion in our team is an invaluable asset. We eagerly anticipate seeing him share his insights and assist our players in achieving our goals. I extend my best wishes to him in this new position."
Earlier this week, Delhi Capitals also declared the hiring of acclaimed and successful coach Matthew Mott as their assistant coach. Mott led the England men's team to victory in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup and previously spent seven record-breaking years with Australia’s women’s team, during which he secured two T20 World Cup titles, one ODI World Cup, and four Ashes series wins, alongside a remarkable streak of 26 consecutive ODI victories.
DC is one of the two teams, alongside defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, that have yet to announce their captain for IPL 2025.
