Kevin Pietersen joins DC as their new mentor making it the former England captain’s first foray into coaching in the IPL.
Kevin Pietersen has been appointed Delhi Capitals’ mentor for IPL 2025.
The 44-year-old will work in the DC backroom alongside head coach Hemang Badani, assistant coach Matthew Mott, bowling coach Munaf Patel, and cricket director Venugopal Rao. A captain for the forthcoming season has not yet been announced by the team, which made the announcement on its app.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to step into this new role as a mentor for the Capitals,” he said in a DC press release. “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.”
For five seasons starting in 2009, Pietersen played for three IPL teams, including Delhi (then known as the Daredevils), and he even captained the team 17 times. He captained the Daredevils for the entire 2014 season, when they finished at the bottom of the league with two victories in 14 games, after briefly leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2009 IPL.
In addition, Pietersen captained England in 15 international matches, including a 2008 Test series in India that lasted two games.
Pietersen has kept up a personal contact with Kiran Kumar Grandhi, chairman of GMR, the co-owners of the DC franchise, ever since he captained Delhi in the 2014 Indian Premier League. Pietersen assisted in negotiating a historic agreement between GMR and Hampshire County Cricket Club in September of last year. In 2024, Pietersen and Grandhi also went to the Utilita Bowl to watch England play Australia in the Twenty20 International.
“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.”