Former England captain Kevin Pietersen won’t be seen in the Delhi Capitals dugout in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 edition after he confirmed that he would not be able to fulfil the role of a mentor in the 19th edition of the tournament. Last season, Pietersen landed his first gig in the support staff of an IPL team, having spent time with the Capitals as their mentor. Over the course of two months, Pietersen formed a special bond with several players, including Ashutosh Sharma.
Last season, after Ashutosh played a match-winning knock for the Capitals against Rishabh Pant’s Lucknow Super Giants, the right-handed batter tipped his hat to Pietersen, by making a switch-hit gesture towards the former England captain, seen beaming inside the dugout.
Ahead of the IPL 2026 edition, Hindustan Times Digital spoke to Ashutosh, who revealed the mantra shared by Pietersen and how he keeps it in mind before every competitive game. The 27-year-old said Pietersen did not offer any specific tips, but the England great did share a simple, short approach for success in any aspect of life.
“I just got a very good tip from him: there is only one option to become a good player: hard work,” said Ashutosh.
In IPL 2025, Ashutosh played 13 matches for the franchise, scoring 204 runs, with his best score being 66 not out in Delhi’s first game of the season against Lucknow. The new season would bring a new level of expectations from the swashbuckling batter, and to keep performing for the franchise, Ashutosh has made certain minor tweaks to his game, focusing more on the mental aspect. He has thrown down the gauntlet, saying his goal is to finish more games for the Capitals.
“I just worked on my mental part. I worked, and I plan to finish more games, like last year, when I lagged in a few games, so this year I will finish more games,” said Ashutosh.
“We practice a lot before the IPL, and during our pre-season camps, so we run match simulations. We prepare for all situations in those, which is why, from the first ball we can hit,” he added.
New additions to the Delhi squad
For the 2026 season, Delhi have bolstered their squad by adding the likes of Pathum Nissanka, Ben Duckett, Lungi Ngidi and Auqib Nabi. And Ashutosh is quite excited to share the dressing room with the recruits.
“I am really excited to meet everyone because it’s our team, so I am really excited to play with all of them, not only one guy or two guys, I want to play with all of them, said the batter.
Last season, Delhi missed the playoffs by the barest of margins. The franchise started the campaign with four wins on the trot, but it quickly went downhill for the Axar Patel-led side as a string of losses derailed their season. Ashutosh said there is no sense of vengeance as the focus remains on playing good cricket, and results will take care of themselves.
“We just want to play good cricket there, and if we do, we will get all the good things. We are ready to play good quality cricket, and fingers crossed, hope for the best, let’s lift the title this year,” he concluded.
