Kevin Pietersen may have received quick credit for Ashutosh Sharma’s brilliant innings against LSG, but Ashutosh made sure Shikhar Dhawan’s contribution was not forgotten. As his post-match interview with Murali Kartik was about to end, Ashutosh raised his hands and said, “I want to dedicate this Player of the Match award to my mentor Shikhar Paaji. He’s not here... Thank you.” His emotions got the better of him, and he couldn’t complete the sentence, but he didn’t need to. Dhawan and everyone watching understood exactly what he meant.

ASHUTOSH × DHAWAN...!!! 🥹❤️

- Dhawan congratulating Ashutosh after the terrific finish against Lucknow.

Ashutosh played under Dhawan in Punjab Kings during last season. pic.twitter.com/Ml8qoLtLCs

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 25, 2025

 
While Ashutosh showed his gratitude to Pietersen with a switch-hit gesture, he made it clear that Dhawan had played a big role in his journey. Dhawan has been his mentor for a long time, strongly supporting his batting talent, especially during their time together at Punjab Kings.

ALSO READ: Tamim Iqbal dead? latest update on his health condition 

On Monday, as soon as Dhawan entered the dressing room, he video-called Ashutosh to congratulate him. DC shared the video of their conversation, where Ashutosh kept saying "Thank you" repeatedly. When asked what Dhawan had told him, he smiled and said, “Paaji was very happy.”

England's star player Kevin Pietersen has joined Delhi Capitals as their mentor for the upcoming IPL season 2025. The former England captain is excited about his new role and he hopes to help the team win their first-ever IPL trophy. He shared his happiness on social media, as Delhi Capitals is still waiting for its maiden title to reach the final before. The team is determined to break its 17-year title drought this season.

Pietersen wrote on Twitter X, 'I’m a Delhi boy, and I’m super excited to be back home! Will 2025 be the year we lift the IPL trophy? We’ll give it our all to make it happen!'. Kevin Pietersen will work closely with head coach Hemang Badani to lead Delhi Capitals to get their first maiden title."

🚨 KEVIN PIETERSEN - THE NEW MENTOR OF DELHI CAPITALS IN IPL 2025 🚨 pic.twitter.com/gw5rnHzgBu

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 27, 2025

"After Ricky Ponting stepped away as mentor, Delhi Capitals made big changes to their coaching staff after the 2024 season. Hemang Badani, who was also involved in the auction, played a key role in making smart player picks. Kevin Pietersen will be taking on a coaching role in the IPL for the first time . The last time he played in the IPL 2025 was in 2016.  Meanwhile, Venugopal Rao will be the Director of Cricket, and Munaf Patel will take charge as the bowling coach for Delhi Capitals."

Kelvin pietersen #kevinpietersen pic.twitter.com/Je0EpSbMw1

— RVCJ Sports (@RVCJ_Sports) February 27, 2025

ALSO READ: "Ravi Shastri advises England to respect subcontinent conditions after Champions Trophy exit"

Delhi Capitals haven't announced their new captain yet for IPL 2025. The top contenders for the captaincy role of Axar Patel, Faf du Plessis, and KL Rahul. The Delhi Capitals might go with either Axar or Rahul, as both have been in great form in recent seasons. Axar has been outstanding with both bat and ball for Team India, while KL Rahul has been doing a fantastic job as a batsman and wicketkeeper with his Captaincy role skills.

Delhi Capitals have brought former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen as their mentor for the IPL 2025 season. Kevin Pietersen will work alongside head coach Hemang Badani, assistant coach Matthew Mott, bowling coach Munaf Patel, and director of cricket Venugopal Rao. The team shared the news through a special video on Instagram and Twitter. However, they haven’t announced their captain for the upcoming season IPL 2025 yet.  

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has returned to the Delhi Capitals setup for IPL 2025.

Read More:👉https://t.co/q2cMKS6Y79 pic.twitter.com/dFUUc3V1Ch

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) February 27, 2025

Kevin Pietersen has played with the Delhi Capitals for so many years, he played for them in two IPL seasons. In 2012, he scored 305 runs in just eight matches, an average of 61. In 2014, he added 294 runs in 11 games with an average of 29.40. 

ALSO READ: Star Sports Promo for IPL 2025 – The Ultimate Cricket Carnival Awaits

Tell the world, KP is back home! ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/60QdLEiSCX

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) February 27, 2025

Delhi Capitals finished sixth place in IPL 2024, winning seven matches out of 14 matches. Kevin Pietersen now part of the delhi staff, the team will be hoping that they will finally lift their first IPL trophy in IPL 2025. Kevin Pietersen had an outstanding international career, playing 104 Test matches and scoring 8,181 runs. He also played 136 ODIs, and he scored 4,440 runs. Delhi Capitals also brought in experienced coach Matthew Mott as their assistant coach in the last week.

 Matthew Mott played a key role in England’s 2022 T20 World Cup win and had a successfull journey with Australia’s women’s team. Under his Captaincy, Australia won two T20 World Cups, one ODI World Cup, four Ashes series, and even set a record with 26 consecutive wins in ODIs.

Feeling that 2025 ICC Champions Trophy is going to be a real big bang that will excite each of its game fans around the world, the cricket experts have already made their bets on who of them will be the champions who will top the lists on who will be the best batsmen and bowlers of the tournament. Since the best athletes from all over the world will participate in this contest, there are going to be a lot of exciting solo performances. The following is what some of the most highly respected analysts shared their views:

Experts Predictions for Champions Trophy 2025 for Runs & Wickets Leaders :

ALSO SEE: If AI Created the Perfect Cricket Team for the Champions Trophy

STAR SPORTS EXPERT PREDICTION FOR CHAMPIONS TROPHY MOST RUNS & WICKETS:

Kevin Pietersen - Klaasen & Adil Rashid.
Murali Vijay - Shubman Gill & Rashid Khan
Aakash Chopra - Shubman Gill.
Sanjay Bangar - Virat Kohli & Kuldeep Yadav
Deep Dasg1upta - Virat Kohli & Rashid Khan pic.twitter.com/8m2HmCRzMI

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 19, 2025

Thoughts on 2025 Champions Trophy :

The fans of cricket should look forward to intense matches and individual battles between the best teams as the 2025 Champions Trophy draws near. The expert opinion based on their watchfulness, correct predictions, and critical predictions may illustrate the most outstanding players at the end of the day. However, the natural of the game is that it is a game of uncertainty which means that the judgments become untrue will appear in reality. Are there any champions out there that were underestimated and went up to the top or will whatever prognosticators put out really stick? It will only be a matter of time to see who comes up on top.

After the end of the three-match home ODI series against England, former Indian captain Virat Kohli gifted a special thing to former English star cricketer Kevin Pietersen’s son.

It was an important home ODI series for India and skipper Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli before the beginning of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 journey. India completely dominated in the ODI series as they won the series by 3-0, while Rohit and Kohli both returned to their form with the bat.

During the second ODI of the series at Cuttack, Indian captain Rohit Sharma slammed one of his great ODI centuries that he completed in just 76 balls and scored 119 runs in 90 balls to secure a great win for the hosts as they chased down the 305-run target comfortably. 

Virat Kohli scored a valuable 50 in Ahmedabad ODI

Leading the series by 2-0, India batted first in the last ODI at Ahmedabad after losing the toss. Although the skipper Rohit Sharma (1) was dismissed very early, another opener Shubman Gill and the former captain Virat Kohli set up a strong partnership that provided a powerful base for the hosts that guided them to the big ODI total of 356 runs. 

Although Kohli was struggling in the early period of the innings, the right-handed batter controlled his innings to boost his confidence ahead of the crucial ICC tournament. With the help of seven fours and one six, Kohli scored 52 off 55 balls before Adil Rashid dismissed him. India ultimately won the game by 142 runs as they completed a whitewash by winning the home ODI series by 3-0. 

Virat Kohli and Kevin Pietersen are good friends; Kohli gift a jersey to Pietersen's son

At the end of the Ahmedabad ODI, Kohli was seen in a white practice kit, and it was because Kohli gifted his jersey to Kevin Pietersen’s son Dylan Pietersen with his autograph and best wishes. 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Kevin Pietersen MBE (@kevinpietersen)

Kohli and Kevin Pietersen have been good friends for a long time. Their friendship productively started when they were teammates for the IPL side Royal Challengers Bengaluru (previously known as Royal Challengers Bangalore). 

In a surprising turn of events in IPL 2024, there has been a change in captaincy mid-season. Such changes are not uncommon in the IPL, highlighting how crucial leadership is in the intense atmosphere of the tournament. These things have already happened in history.

Here are the name captains who stepped down in the middle of an IPL season;

2021: David Warner – Kane Williamson

David Warner was a standout performer during his time with the Hyderabad-based franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). As the captain, he clinched three orange caps and led SRH to victory in the IPL 2016, scoring a remarkable 848 runs. Warner’s dedication earned him the title of a true servant of the Orange Army.

However, in IPL 2021, SRH’s performance fell below expectations, with only one win in their first seven matches. This led to tensions between Warner and the SRH management, resulting in Kane Williamson being appointed as the new captain.

Despite the change in leadership, SRH’s fortunes didn’t improve, and they finished at the bottom of the table by the end of the season. Despite not being retained by SRH for the 2022 IPL season, Warner continued to show his support for the franchise from the stands, demonstrating his deep affection for the team. He was subsequently bought by Delhi Capitals for the 2022 IPL season.

2020: Dinesh Karthik – Eoin Morgan

Dinesh Karthik, known as one of the most successful wicketkeeper-batters in IPL history, joined Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2018 mega auction. With KKR in need of a captain, they turned to Karthik’s experience and leadership. He led the team from 2018 to 2020.

In the middle of IPL 2020, although KKR had won four of their first seven games, Karthik’s performance with the bat was lacking. Consequently, he chose to step down as captain. With Eoin Morgan, a World Cup-winning captain, in their squad, KKR appointed him as the new captain.

During IPL 2020, KKR’s performance was neither exceptional nor poor, finishing in fifth place with seven wins in 14 league matches. However, Morgan’s captaincy made a significant impact in the following season. Despite a slow start, KKR reached the finals, ultimately losing to Chennai Super Kings.

2018: Gautam Gambhir – Shreyas Iyer

Gautam Gambhir, KKR’s most successful captain with two trophies, decided to end his IPL journey with Delhi Daredevils ( then Delhi Capitals) before the 2018 IPL mega auction. As soon as he rejoined Delhi, he was appointed captain, which was a big boost for the team. However, despite Gambhir’s experience, Delhi struggled at the start, winning only one game out of their first six.

Consequently, Gambhir stepped down as captain. Shreyas Iyer, a young Indian batsman, took over the reins mid-season and led the team decently. Under Iyer’s captaincy, Delhi won four out of their next eight games, but couldn’t make it to the playoffs. Iyer continued as captain for two more seasons until he got injured before IPL 2021, leading to Rishabh Pant being named the new captain. In IPL 2022, Iyer was bought by KKR in the mega auction and appointed as their new skipper.

2013: Ricky Ponting – Rohit Sharma

In the 2013 IPL season, Ricky Ponting began as the captain of Mumbai Indians (MI). However, the team faced difficulties, losing four of their first five games. Seeing the struggle, Ponting chose to step down as captain, and MI appointed Rohit Sharma as the new skipper.

Rohit’s leadership brought a significant change to the team’s performance, ultimately leading them to clinch the trophy. This season also marked the last IPL for Sachin Tendulkar, and MI dedicated their win to the cricket legend. Rohit’s captaincy marked the start of a remarkable journey for MI. Under his leadership, they went on to win four more IPL titles, making Rohit the most successful captain in IPL history.

2012: Daniel Vettori – Virat Kohli

Despite starting each IPL season as favorites, the Royal Challengers Bangalore have yet to secure a title in their 14 seasons of participation. Despite reaching the final three times, including in 2011 under the leadership of Daniel Vettori, they have been unable to clinch the trophy. In the following season, RCB struggled, winning only two of their first five games.

In a bold move, young Indian batsman Virat Kohli was appointed captain midway through the season, despite still proving himself on the international stage. Though the team had mixed results under his leadership, finishing fifth on the points table, Kohli was subsequently appointed full-time captain in 2013. Over the next eight years, his captaincy had its ups and downs. The team’s breakthrough came in 2016, when they reached the IPL final for the third time.

See Also: IPL 2024: Netizens welcome Riyan Parag 2.0

2009: Kevin Pietersen – Anil Kumble

In 2008, Rahul Dravid led the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. But after just one season, he decided to step down as captain. RCB then bought Kevin Pietersen for INR 1.55 million before the 2009 IPL season and made him captain right away. However, things didn’t go well for RCB under Pietersen’s leadership, losing four out of the first five games.

The team owner, Vijay Mallya, became impatient and replaced Pietersen as captain. Anil Kumble, the Indian leg-spinning expert, took over as captain. Under his leadership, RCB performed exceptionally, winning eight out of the next 10 matches and making it to the finals. Unfortunately, they lost to the Deccan Chargers in the final match.

Kevin Pietersen, a former England cricketer, believes that Jofra Archer’s most recent injury is the final blow to his chances of playing international cricket. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Tuesday, May 16 that the pacer suffered a stress fracture to his elbow and would not play in the English summer.

The Mumbai Indians (MI), according to several media reports, have offered Archer a position. The player has reportedly been offered a contract by the team that would only keep him with MI and its sister teams in various T20 leagues around the world. The ECB will need to get MI’s blessing before they can include Archer in their international team.

Opining that taking the franchise cricket route is the better option for Jofra Archer considering his history with injuries,

“I’m gutted for Jofra. Absolutely gutted. I think this will probably end his journey with English cricket. I know that there are reports around a franchise contract, and that would be the smartest thing for him to do now. Take six months to recover, select a few tournaments to play, and bowl at the speed of light for a few months of the year. He would earn good money and still have a career in the game.” 

Pietersen wrote on his blog for Betway.

“Archer was in England’s plans for the Ashes, but his injury forced them to look at other options. The Ben Stokes-led side are already concerned with recent injuries to James Anderson and Olly Stone during the County Championship. He should now just go and cash in as much as he can in franchise cricket”,

Kevin Pietersen.

Archer is already a member of the Mumbai Indians (MI) team that competes in both the SA20 League and the Indian Premier League. Would it be a good idea for him to completely resolve to establish cricket, he will before long wear the blue tones in the ILT20 as well as the new association situated in the USA, the Significant Association Cricket (MLC).

Kevin Pietersen wrote that Archer is not to blame for the apparent end of his international career:

“I think the longer form of the game has passed him by. I think English cricket has probably passed him by.”

“It’s no fault of his own, he’s just injury prone. As much as he would love to play for England, because I know that’s his dream, it’s probably finished. He should now just go and cash in as much as he can in franchise cricket. But first of all, get himself fit.”

Pietersen continued: