New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has heaped praise on young batter Sameer Rizvi after his unbeaten 70 off 47 balls powered Delhi Capitals (DC) to a thumping six-wicket win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 played at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Pietersen, who worked as a mentor with the DC last year, revealed that he watched Rizvi closely last season and was impressed with the skillset the Indian batter possesses. He urged DC’s management to keep backing Rizvi, and he will pay back with match-winning knocks.

“He played the situation beautifully, and I’m not surprised. I spent a lot of time with Sameer last season, watched him closely. He scored a hundred in a warm-up game but, unfortunately, couldn’t find a place in the first half of the tournament. However, when he got his opportunity later in the season, he showed what he was about, and everybody looked up and said, This kid is a proper player, and we probably need to invest in him for a period of time,” Pietersen told Jio Hotstar.

“When you invest in a young player, you need that trust that the player can pay you back, and he has done exactly that in this game. He really delivered under pressure. Once you get your team over the line in a big game, especially the first game of the IPL, in a tense situation and a lot of eyeballs on you, not being in the first XI, winning that game makes you feel far better than just scoring a hundred in a high-scoring match,” he added.

Pietersen also supported Delhi Capitals’ coach decision of sending Tristan Stubbs ahead of experienced batter David Miller, as according to the former England opener, Miller is best suited as a finisher, and Stubbs, who plays at number three in Tests, can better absorb the pressure.

“It’s not a very difficult decision. Tristan Stubbs is a Test batter at number three. You need someone who can face the new ball, someone who is really solid in defence, and someone who can absorb pressure. David Miller is a white-ball player, a finisher, and not the kind of player you would want to send in at that stage of the game,” he said.

“You’ve got a player in Tristan Stubbs who is full of confidence. You’re making it sound like it’s the best decision ever made. But when you’re four down for 20, and it’s between Tristan Stubbs and David Miller, who are you sending in? You’re sending in Tristan Stubbs,” he added.

–IANS

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