Kevin Pietersen named Delhi Daredevils captain

Kevin Pietersen

Out-of-favour English batsman Kevin Pietersen has been named the captain of the Delhi Daredevils ahead of the 7th season of the Indian Premier League which gets underway in April.

The star batsman was bought by the GMR owned franchise for Rs 9 crore in the player auctions which were held in February. Dinesh Karthik, a player for whom the franchise paid Rs 12.5 crore, has been named the vice captain of the team.

“I feel incredibly honoured to have been asked to captain the Delhi Daredevils in this year’s IPL. I am very much looking forward to working alongside Gary Kirsten. We have a fantastic squad with a good blend of youth and experience and a brilliant coaching set up,” Pietersen said.

Pietersen was bought by the Delhi franchise in 2012. The maverick batsman made 305 runs in 8 games at an average of 61 that year. The highlight of Pietersen’s stay with the Daredevils definitely has to be the 103* that he smashed against Deccan Chargers.

DelhiDaredevils name @KP24 as Captain and @DineshKarthik as his deputy for @PepsiIPL2014 #DD #DDNewLook #DDSkipper

— Delhi Daredevils (@DelhiDaredevils) March 18, 2014

Pietersen missed the entire season of IPL in 2013 due to an injury. With no England duties to go back to however, KP, as he’s called, will be available to lead the new look Delhi Daredevils team for the whole season.

A good season skippering the side will be a proverbial slap in the face for all the people who have branded the middle order batsman as a disruptive influence in the dressing room. And Pietersen will definitely want that.