New Delhi, 27 February (HS): JSW-GMR co-owned franchise Delhi Capitals has appointed England veteran batsman Kevin Pietersen as its team mentor ahead of the upcoming IPL season. 44-year-old Pietersen will work with the team's strong support staff, which includes Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao, Head Coach Hemang Badani, Assistant Coach Matthew Mott and Bowling Coach Munaf Patel.
Delhi Capitals Chairman and Co-Owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi welcomed Pietersen and said, We are delighted to welcome KP as our team mentor. He has previously played for us in the IPL, and is now returning in a new role. We are confident that his vast experience, strategic understanding of the game and his passion for the franchise will prove invaluable for our team. Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal said, KP was one of the best batsmen in modern cricket and having him join our team is a significant milestone. We hope that with his guidance our players will be able to scale new heights.
Excited to return to the franchise after more than a decade, Pietersen said, I have wonderful memories of representing the Delhi franchise in the IPL. I have also been associated with the team as a broadcaster over the years. I am excited to step into this new role and help the team win titles.
Pietersen, who has scored 5,695 runs in 200 T20 matches, has scored 1,001 runs in 36 matches for Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Pune franchise in the IPL. The former England captain won the Player of the Series award in the 2010 T20 World Cup, helping England win their first ICC trophy. In his illustrious international career, Pietersen has scored 8,181 runs in 104 Tests and 4,440 runs in 136 ODIs.
Earlier this week, Delhi Capitals also announced the appointment of renowned coach Matthew Mott as assistant coach. Mott guided the England men's team to the 2022 T20 World Cup win and had a stellar seven-year stint with the Australia women's team. His tenure includes two T20 World Cup titles, one ODI World Cup and four Ashes series wins.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
