There is no bad blood between Kevin Pietersen and Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals after the former England batsman quit his mentor role on Saturday.
The league is going to kick off later this month, and many thought KP’s decision was a bit last-minute. His social media post in Hindi had given rise to speculation as to what could have happened. Here is the translation of his post on X.
“I cannot be a mentor for Delhi Capitals in this IPL season as I can’t commit to the time that the job requires. Best wishes to all the players for this season. However, I will see you back in the commentary box. IPL is the world’s best league, and I can’t wait to see all of you soon.”
Delhi Capitals have replied now, and this is they kind of reply one would expect from a team from the national capital. Their reaction speaks of a lot of understanding on their part. There is a reason Delhi people are considered big-hearted. “Once a Dilliwala, always a Dilliwala. Thank you for all the love and roars, KP,” the franchise wrote on its X handle on Sunday.
And what a time he had at Delhi, as a player!
And KP is a Dilliwala for sure. He has played for the franchise back in the day when it was called Delhi Daredevils. And he won many a game for them. On one occasion, when he scored a match-winning century at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium — now it has been renamed the Arun Jaitley Stadium — the whole stadium rose on its feet to acknowledge his extraordinary efforts. Pietersen has since spoken of playing in front of the Delhi crowds many times, calling the whole experience emotional as well as surreal.
Delhi, who finished fifth on the points table last season as they narrowly failed to qualify for the playoffs, kick off their IPL 19 campaign on April 1 as they travel to the Ekana Cricket Stadium to play Lucknow Super Giants. After which they will play back-to-back matches at home against five-time champions Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans respectively, on April 4 and April 8. On April 11, they travel to the Chidambaram Stadium to play another five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings. The IPL has announced only a 16-day schedule as of now.