New Delhi, March 15 – Delhi Capitals bid farewell to Kevin Pietersen, who had previously served as the team's mentor, after the England veteran announced on Saturday that he was stepping down from his role, stating that he could not commit the time required. The 45-year-old will, however, be back in the commentary box for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).
DC had appointed Pietersen for the role in February last year, for the 2025 edition of the tournament, as he worked alongside the support staff, which included Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao, Head Coach Hemang Badani, Assistant Coach Matthew Mott, and Bowling Coach Munaf Patel.
The England veteran shared the news on X on Saturday, saying, "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! However, I'll see you back in the commentary box! IPL is the best league in the world, and I can't wait to see all of you soon!"
The franchise shared a post for Pietersen on Sunday, captioning it, "Once a Dilliwala, always a Dilliwala. Thank you for all the love & cheers, KP.” The former England cricketer also reacted to their post by dropping a heart emoji.
Earlier this week, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the first phase of IPL 2026, to be played from March 28 to April 12, 2026.
"As three states are scheduled to undergo State Assembly elections during this period, the full schedule of the tournament will be announced once the poll dates are announced," BCCI said in a statement.
The 19th edition of the biggest T20 league on the globe will commence with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad.