England discard Kevin Pietersen may not be wanted by the England cricket board but the flamboyant batsman is still a cricketer who can make a difference in a T20 match. After his stupendous show with Melbourne, Stars Pietersen is ready to showcase his skills in the Indian Premier League.
After brief stints with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Daredevils, the South Africa-born cricketer will turn up for new franchise Pune Super Giants in the 2016 IPL after fetching an impressive Rs, 3.3 crores at the auction.
Pune Supergiants captain MS Dhoni was delighted with Pietersen’s in his team and said the 35-year-old would bolster the team’s batting line-up.
“It is good to have Pietersen in the team. He is going to bolster our side,” Dhoni said at the launch of the Supergiants’ jersey in New Delhi today.
Dhoni, who had captained Chennai Super Kings for eight years from 2-08 to 2015, said the suspended franchise was “special.”
“I spent eight years with the Super Kings players. They were special and consistent,” Dhoni said.
Possibly the man Dhoni would miss is Suresh Raina, who was an integral part of CSK middle order the more than half a decade. The southpaw was picked by the Gujarat Lions in the IPL draft before being appointed captain. Dhoni felt Raina had great leadership credentials.
“Raina is a destructive player and a good captain,” said Dhoni, who has relied on Raina’s all-around talents for years now.
Dhoni has been separated from Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, two of his trusted warriors in CSK’s heydays. But the former Test captain is happy to be reunited with Stephen Fleming, who will coach Pune for the next two years. The former New Zealand captain-coached CSK to two IPL titles and Dhoni called him an “outstanding thinker.”
Dhoni said that he was pleased with the inclusion of Saurabh Tiwary and Albie Morkel on the side. While Morkel played with Dhoni for CSK, Tiwary hails from Jharkhand, Dhoni’s home state.