Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has been appointed as the mentor of Delhi Capitals (DC) for IPL 2025. The 44-year-old joins a coaching setup led by head coach Hemang Badani, assistant coach Matthew Mott, bowling coach Munaf Patel, and director of cricket Venugopal Rao. The franchise made the announcement via its official app but has yet to name a captain for the upcoming season.
This marks Pietersen’s first coaching role in the IPL. He played in the league from 2009 to 2016, representing three franchises, including Delhi (then Daredevils). He captained Delhi in 2014, though they finished last with just two wins in 14 matches. Before that, he led Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2009. Pietersen also captained England in 15 internationals, including a Test series in India in 2008.
Pietersen has maintained strong ties with Delhi Capitals’ co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi. In 2023, he played a key role in securing a partnership between GMR and Hampshire County Cricket Club. The two were also seen together at England’s T20I against Australia at the Utilita Bowl in 2024.
Beyond the IPL, Pietersen played in the BBL, PSL, and CPL, accumulating 5695 T20 runs at an average of 33.89 and a strike rate just under 137.
DC, who reached the IPL final only once, finished sixth in IPL 2024. Ahead of the auction, they had the biggest purse after releasing several top players, retaining only Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abishek Porel. They later secured big names like KL Rahul, Harry Brook, Faf du Plessis, and Mitchell Starc.
Notably, their Indian support staff recently coached Dubai Capitals to the ILT20 title, marking the first-ever trophy for any Capitals franchise.
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