DUBAI // The Delhi Daredevils may have lost two of their three matches but captain Kevin Pietersen remains confident his team can finish well this season.
Nursing an injured finger, Pietersen watched from the dugout as the Daredevils started their campaign with an eight-wicket loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
They bounced back to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets but then had a humiliating 93-run defeat against the Chennai Super Kings, bowled out for 84 as they chased 177. Expected to make his first appearance of the season today, against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first match of the double-header at Dubai, Pietersen has urged his players not to panic.
“I want all the guys in the team to know that there is no pressure,” he told the IPLT20 website. “I want all the players to relax and play to the best of their ability.
“Yes, we didn’t start the tournament as well as we wanted to, but the IPL is a marathon, not a sprint.
“We do not need to worry about the first three to five games. As long as we get into a winning streak with game six to 10, we’re going to finish this tournament really well.”
The Daredevils’ fortunes could well be tied to Pietersen’s form and availability. Banished from international cricket by the English bosses after their Ashes whitewash in Australia, KP was looking forward to his return to the game in the IPL, but injured his finger a few days before the start of the event.
“I had good practice for a couple of weeks in London, but then hurt myself and have had three weeks off,” Pietersen said. “I just need another good week of training and then I’ll be back.”
Starved of action in the middle, Pietersen has been an animated figure in the dugout and passionately involved in the practice sessions.
“It’s imperative for me to play a significant role as a senior figure in the dressing room,” he said. “You need to reach out to the players and help them out.
“Yes, I have handed the reigns of the team to DK [Dinesh Karthik], but I’ve also got to help him. We’re all a part of the senior group in the squad and the onus is on us to look after each other.”
Pietersen is also happy with the composition of his team and has brushed off suggestions they could be a bit light in the crucial spin department.
“I don’t think so,” Pietersen said. “I think Shahbaz Nadeem is a fantastic bowler. Rahul [Sharma] has played for India as well.
“Hindsight is a very good sight; it’s easy to say, ‘I think we needed to get this and that’, but let’s not hurry in making such decisions. Let’s wait until the tournament ends and we’ll see where we get to.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
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