Kevin Pietersen brings his big bat, and seemingly bigger baggage, to Delhi Daredevils. Quinn Rooney / Getty Images
Kevin Pietersen brings his big bat, and seemingly bigger baggage, to Delhi Daredevils. Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

IPL 7 team guides: Delhi Daredevils



Coach Gary Kirsten

Last season Bottom

Best Semi-finals, 2008, 2009

Secret weapon

Saurabh Tiwary Once was the coming man of Indian and IPL cricket, but his star has faded in the past couple of seasons to the extent that Delhi bought him for a relatively knock-down price. The left-hander could prove a bargain, especially if he maintains the form that brought him a Ranji Trophy double-century earlier this winter.

Best Indian players

Murali Vijay Two T20 centuries to his name and a career strike rate of 122.79.

Mohammed Shami Wicket-shy of late but still one of India's best-regarded seamers.

Dinesh Karthik The India wicketkeeper was Delhi's most expensive auction buy.

Foreign contingent

Kevin Pietersen (England) England outcast has a point to prove in the IPL.

Ross Taylor (New Zealand) Few players in the world hit the ball harder than the New Zealander.

JP Duminy (South Africa) Elegant South African left-hander whose off-spin could also be valuable.

Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand) A 23-year-old all-rounder making his way with New Zealand.

Quinton de Kock (South Africa) Prolific age-group cricketer who is proving the same at senior level.

Nathan Coulter-Nile (Australia) Fast bowler who has earned rave reviews in Australia lately.

Wayne Parnell (South Africa) South African left-armer has had success in the UAE in the past.

One thing you probably did not know about Delhi Daredevils

After an unbecoming campaign in 2013, when they finished bottom of the nine-team table, the Daredevils were the only franchise to retain players. Then they made Pietersen captain, the biggest gamble for this season.

Paul Radley’s chocolate comparison

If they were chocolate they would ... eat themselves. Kevin Pietersen? Made of chocolate? He would like the taste so much he would be devoured in no time.

pradley@thenational.ae

Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE

Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

'Shakuntala Devi'

Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra

Director: Anu Menon

Rating: Three out of five stars

Bournemouth 0

Manchester United 2
Smalling (28'), Lukaku (70')

QUALIFYING RESULTS

1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.

Eliminated after second session

11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.

Eliminated after first session

15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Middle East Today

The must read newsletter for the region

      By signing up, I agree to The National's privacy policy
      Middle East Today