Pietersen to lead Daredevils, Dinesh Karthik as Vice Captain

Kevin Pietersen will captain the all new look Delhi Daredevils during the seventh edition of the Pepsi Indian Premier League. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik would be the vice-captain.

Pietersen, the 33-year-old, has been a prolific scorer in all forms of the game. The former England skipper has been exceptionally sensational in the T20s and was named the ‘Man of the Tournament’ in the 2010 World T20 Championship for helping England bag its maiden World T20 crown with his swashbuckling batting.

Pietersen joined Delhi Daredevils in 2012 and made an impact with his 8 match outing amassing 305 runs with an average of 61 including a match winning ton against earstwhile Deccan Chargers to help the team top the league standings. He was unavailable in 2013 due to an injury but made it a point to visit the team and spend valuable time with the youngsters in the squad.

KP as he is poularly known was retained by Delhi Daredevils through the ‘Matching Card’ option for Rs 9 crore during the IPL 2013 auction.

Kevin Pietersen, on being appointed as the captain said, “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. We hope to bring our incredible fans a lot of happiness this season.”

Delhi Daredevils have also announced Dinesh Karthik as the vice capatin for the upcoming Pepsi IPL 2013. DK makes his return to the Daredevils family after having played with the franchise for the first three years. He was bought by the Daredevils for Rs 12 crore in the recently concluded auction.

The wicket-keeper batsman has amassed 1741 runs in 92 IPL appearances . Besides being an exceptional wicket-keeper he is an agile outfield fielder and can play in any position. He also has an exceptional ability to read the game and would provide valuable support to Pietersen with his knowledge of the playing conditions and Indian domestic players as his deputy.

Karthik, the newly appointed vice-captain said, “I am really thankful and honoured on being appointed as the vice-captain of Delhi Daredevils cricket team. I also thank GMR Group and Delhi Daredevils for having the faith in me. I am looking forward to working under legends like Kevin Pietersen and Gary Kirsten and show my full support and faith for the team. I will try and take the team to a newer level and achieve great things.”

Delhi Daredevils have a new look team and an identity that reflects the farnchise aspirations to soar higher and achieve bigger success on and off the field. Both Pietersen and Karthik epitomise the franchises values of courage and teamwork and we are confident under their leadership the team will achieve greater heights.

On the appointments, Gary Kirsten, the head coach of Delhi Daredevils said, “I am looking forward to working with Kevin Pietersen as the captain of the Delhi Daredevils. It will be great to have him with us for the full duration of IPL and I have no doubt that he will have a positive and significant impact.”

Kirsten said that Pietersen along with vice-captain Dinesh Karthik would form a formidable leadership team. “Dinesh Karthik, who has been appointed as vice-captain will also form part of the leadership team. He has a lot of experience of playing the IPL and he will offer valuable inputs into our game plans and strategies during the tournament.”

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