Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen joined Delhi Capitals as their mentor for IPL 2025. The 44-year-old indicated the same earlier in the week when he teased about a ‘cool announcement’ on X. He has now joined Hemang Badani (head coach), Matthew Mott (assistant coach), Munaf Patel (bowling coach) and Venugopal Rao (director of cricket) in the coaching unit.
Pietersen has previously represented Delhi Capitals in the IPL, scoring 599 runs in 19 matches. Overall, he has played 36 matches in the cash-rich league, scoring 1001 runs in 36 games. Meanwhile, this will be Pietersen’s first coaching assignment in the IPL. Speaking on the opportunity, the Pietermaritzburg-born said that he is looking forward to joining the squad and helping the team win their maiden IPL title.
“It's an exciting opportunity to step into this new role as a mentor for the Capitals. And I'm really looking forward to joining the squad, working closely with the boys, and doing everything I can to help us win that ultimate prize,” Pietersen said in a DC press release.
“I've got incredible memories of representing the Delhi franchise in the IPL, and I've been able to maintain that passion for the team even as a broadcaster over the years. I shared the field with Venu (Venugopal Rao) during the 2012 season, and it's great to be reconnecting with him as we begin a new chapter at this amazing franchise,” he added.
Notably, Pietersen has been a vocal supporter of Delhi Capitals. Ahead of the mega-auction in 2025, the former cricketer wanted star India batter Virat Kohli to switch franchises and join DC instead, which is based in his home city. Meanwhile, there are no clear updates on Pietersen’s contract with the club. The GMR group will take over the men’s team in 2027 and it's unclear if he will be a part of the franchise after that.