IPL 2025: Why Kevin Pietersen left Delhi Capitals midway through the season

Dubai: Delhi Capitals continued their dominant start to Indian Premier League Season 18, making it three wins from three with a 25-run victory over Chennai Super Kings on Saturday. The result ended a 15-year wait for a win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium and extended Chennai’s unwanted streak — they haven’t chased down a target of 180 or more in six years.

But even as the Capitals celebrated their historic result, they were dealt a surprise off-field blow.

On Sunday, former England captain and Delhi mentor Kevin Pietersen temporarily left the team, with the franchise confirming his departure for a short break. Pietersen, known for his love of travel, posted a video on social media showing himself boarding a flight to the Maldives.

“Paradise loading in the Maldives. DND for a while!” he wrote on X.

He is expected to miss Delhi’s next match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 10, but is likely to return in time for their first home game of the season at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 13. In his absence, assistant coach Venugopala Rao will help guide the team alongside head coach Hemang Badani.

Before departing, Pietersen praised KL Rahul, who played a pivotal role in Delhi’s win over Chennai.

“He is genuine and he is an absolute team man! We’re so lucky to have him!” he posted on social media.

The mutual respect between the two was evident in a video released by the IPL, in which Rahul revealed how one of Pietersen’s old tweets changed his approach to batting.

“It’s better than watching paint dry. Exactly — that was your tweet about me one day,” Rahul said, laughing.

“Did I say that? Well, I’m glad you’ve changed your game,” Pietersen replied.

Rahul then explained the shift in mindset: “I think somewhere along the way I lost the fun of hitting boundaries and sixes. I wanted to take the game deep, deep, deep — and that somehow stuck in my head. But now I’ve realised that I need to go back.”