Kevin Pietersen ditches Delhi Capitals days before IPL 2026, quits mentor role
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Former England great Kevin Pietersen, who was the mentor of the Delhi Capitals side in IPL 2025, has stepped down from his role ahead of the upcoming IPL season. The England great, however, has claimed that he will be part of the IPL by some other means.
Delhi Capitals made a massive change to their coaching unit ahead of IPL 2025. They excluded the former Australian great Ricky Ponting and instead appointed Hemang Badani, while also appointing English legend Kevin Pietersen as the mentor of the team.
Under their guidance, Delhi made a promising start to the tournament with consecutive wins, but could not qualify for the knockout stages after having lost many games towards the back end, as a result of which they could finish lower than the Mumbai Indians and the Gujarat Titans.
Kevin Pietersen steps down from DC mentorship ahead of IPL 2026
The former RCB great, who also played some promising years for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, has made it clear through his X post that he wishes to step down from the position of mentor for the Delhi Capitals for the upcoming season of the IPL that starts on the 28th of March.
He informed that he was not ready to commit the time needed for such a role and hence, will not be taking up the role. He wished the best for the cricketers of the team for their upcoming campaign.
He also claimed that he would be part of the commentary squad in the IPL and called it one of the most prestigious leagues in the world, which he cannot resist witnessing.
🚨 समाचार 🚨
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) March 14, 2026
मैं आईपीएल के इस सीजन में दिल्ली कैपिटल्स के लिए मेंटर नहीं बन सकता।
मैं उस समय के लिए प्रतिबद्ध नहीं हो सकता, जो काम की आवश्यकता है।
सभी खिलाड़ियों को इस सीजन के लिए शुभकामनाएं! ❤️
हालांकि मैं आपको कॉम बॉक्स में वापस देखूंगा! आईपीएल दुनिया की सबसे अच्छी लीग है…
New Players to look out for in the Delhi Capitals' 2026 Squad
Delhi Capitals probably had one of the finest auctions in the mini-auction 2026, where they picked many big names at minor prices and made some useful futuristic investments. One of them included David Miller, the South African finisher, who was included at his base price.
Pathum Nissanka, the Lankan opener, English opener Ben Duckett, and Indian opener Prithvi Shaw were all among the known names that were included in the playing XI for a whopping low price. Shaw was formerly part of the Capitals franchise and was one of their best players.
Some other buys that looked futuristic were of Indian youngsters Ajay Mandal and Madhav Tiwari, who will be special to the DC camp. Former KKR star Nitish Rana and Jammu & Kashmir bowler Auqib Nabi will be the major highlights for the Capitals in the upcoming edition.
South Africa star pacer Lungisani Ngidi, who bowled outstandingly in the subcontinent conditions, might be the fourth overseas player in the Delhi Capitals side alongside Mitchell Starc, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller.
Will DC consider handing the captaincy to Tristan Stubbs after SA20 success?
Delhi Capitals appointed Indian all-rounder Axar Patel as the captain of the side in the last edition despite having acquired KL Rahul in the auction. The Indian vice-captain is still in the role, but the question has once again been raised after Tristan Stubbs emerged as a possible choice.
The South African youngster went on to score several runs on crucial occasions for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape and the South African team, and led the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to their third title in the SA20 as the captain of the side.
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