KP happy to be at Daredevils party

Dubai: Explosive England batsman Kevin Pietersen is eagerly looking forward to batting alongside India's most destructive batsman Virender Sehwag in the Delhi Daredevils squad in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).

Pietersen, who became the first Daredevils player to don the new team uniform at the International Cricket Council Global Cricket Academy here yesterday, said: "It is a great honour to be transferred to the Delhi team and it is going to be a great opportunity to bat alongside Sehwag."

Feared batting

The two hard-hitting batsmen have the ability to shatter any bowling attack and will be among the most feared batsmen in the IPL, which this year runs from April 4 to May 27.

"We have a magnificent squad this time with Mahela Jayawardene, David Warner, Morne Morkel and India's new bowling sensation Umesh Yadav, who is bowling at great speed. These are all exciting players." Pietersen said.

"There is no doubt that the Indian Premier League is an exciting competition. All the players who have played in the IPL have only spoken highly about this event.

"I am delighted to be back after having to miss out last season because of surgery. A look at the squad reveals that Delhi will be able to regain the consistency they have shown in the first three editions, when they won 24 games. It is great to be part of one of India's big cities."

Pietersen unveiled the new jersey in the presence of chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi, former Indian Test star and coach T.A. Sekar, who is also the team mentor, head of operations, Daredevils, Amrit Mathur, and head of marketing Hemant Dua.

"Pietersen is a real daredevil and we are really looking forward to his performance," Grandhi said.

Significant inclusions

Sekar, who returned to the Daredevils after being with Mumbai Indians, said: "It is great to be back with Delhi. Last year was not great for Delhi, so we have included some of the great names in the game who can dominate the first few overs. We have also roped in a great finisher in Mahela Jayawardene, who will be our vice-captain, Andre Russell, who is doing well in Bangladesh Premier League, and Douglas Bracewell of New Zealand."

Sekar, who is known for his ability to spot talent, also talked about the domestic talent in the squad. "We have in our ranks Delhi's 18-year-old all-rounder Pawan Negi, Gujarat's Manprit Juneja, who hit a double century on Ranji Trophy debut, and Saurashtra's Kuldeep Raval. With these additions, we have a fine combination," he said.

Delhi also boasts the new bowling sensations Varun Aaron and Yadav and the experienced Irfan Pathan. Eric Simmons is the head coach while Trent Woodhill of New Zealand is the fielding coach. Aashish Kapoor is the team manager.