Delhi Capitals, IPL 2026: Former England cricketteam batter Kevin Pietersen said he will not continue as mentor of Delhi Capitals for the upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 season, citing the time commitment required for the role. The 45-year-old announced his decision on social media ahead of the tournament. Pietersen said he could not dedicate the time needed to fulfill the mentoring responsibilities during the 19th edition of the IPL.

“I cannot be a mentor for the Delhi Capitals this IPL season. I can’t commit to the time that the job requires,” Pietersen wrote. “Best wishes to all the players for this season. However, I’ll 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.”

Pietersen had joined Delhi Capitals as mentor for the 2025 season, bringing his experience in international and franchise cricket to the team’s support staff. The side was led by captain Axar Patel and coached by Hemang Badani.

During his lone season with the franchise, Delhi Capitals won seven of their 14 league matches and finished fifth in the standings, narrowly missing out on the playoffs. KL Rahul was the team’s leading run-scorer with 539 runs, while spinner Kuldeep Yadav topped the wicket chart for the side with 15 wickets.

Pietersen previously played in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad, scoring 1,001 runs in the tournament. Across his professional career, he scored 5,695 runs in 200 international matches for England.

Delhi Capitals will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.