He worked with Delhi Capitals for only one season.
Delhi Capitals (DC) won’t have Kevin Pietersen’s services for IPL 2026. Pietersen was appointed as their mentor last season, but the franchise has parted ways with him.
The former English batter confirmed the update via his official X (formerly Twitter) account earlier today. He wrote that he won’t have enough time to be with the franchise for the full season, so he decided to step aside from the mentor’s position.
“I cannot be a mentor for Delhi Capitals in this IPL season. I cannot commit to the time that the job requires. Best wishes to all the players for this season!”
Even last season, Kevin Pietersen took a break midway through the season with a trip to the Maldives, which drew significant criticism and humorous remarks from experts and fans. However, he confirmed he will be on the commentary panel for the season, suggesting that his partial availability led to his withdrawal from DC’s coaching setup ahead of the fresh season.
Delhi Capitals haven’t announced a new mentor yet, and it will be interesting to see whether they fill this position with a new staff member. They had already announced Ian Bell as their assistant coach a month back.
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Among other support staff members are head coach Hemang Badani, director of cricket Venugopal Rao, and bowling coach Munaf Patel. Last season, several players credited Pietersen for his inputs and improvements as a batter, including the likes of Abishek Porel and Ashutosh Sharma.
He worked on the technical aspects of their games, helping them increase their range and remain calm under pressure with clarity of thought. Being a stylish player with the ability to play unconventional shots, Pietersen understands how to adapt to different bowlers and remain unpredictable as a batter, which is only possible with more shots to work with.
Delhi Capitals finished fifth on the points table last season, starting on a high note by winning five of the initial six games, but still ending with only 15 points due to five defeats and one no-result in the final eight games. They will look to overcome the debacle and win that elusive trophy for the first time in the tournament.
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