'Is Maldives holiday included in package?' KL Rahul reacts to Kevin Pietersen's appointment as England mentor

The ECB announced the appointment of Kevin Pietersen as the white-ball mentor on Monday.

Published on: Sep 8, 2026, 06:32:55 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced one of the biggest moves heading into the 2027 ODI World Cup, appointing Kevin Pietersen as the white-ball mentor. The decision sees the former England captain returning to the Three Lions 12 years after he was infamously dropped, marking a controversial end to his international career. The 46-year-old is not new to mentoring, having previously served in the role for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Kevin Pietersen and KL Rahul are very good friends off the field. (PTI)

Pietersen was Delhi's mentor for the 2025 edition of the T20 tournament, and midway through the season, he also left the camp for a holiday in the Maldives. This became a running joke within the team, and KL Rahul never shied away from reminding the England great of how he took a holiday midway through the season.

Rahul was once again quick to inquire about the Maldives as he dropped a witty comment on the Instagram post, which announced Pietersen's arrival in the England white-ball setup.

Also Read: Kevin Pietersen ends 12-year England exile, joins white-ball coaching setup for World Cup push

On the post of England Cricket on Instagram, Rahul commented, "Is the Maldives holiday included in the package? @kevinpietersen."

Even the official handle of Delhi Capitals pulled Pietersen's leg, saying, "What's a mentor?" In response to both comments, the former England batter could only drop laughing emojis.

KL Rahul and Delhi Capitals poke fun at Pietersen. (Kevin Pietersen - Instagram)

All you need to know about Pietersen's appointment

Pietersen will now join white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum in the build-up to the ODI World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe next year. He will make his presence felt later this month when England take on Sri Lanka, and will join the backroom staff of McCullum, Marcus Trescothick, Tim Southee, Jeetan Patel and Sarah Taylor.

He will also be involved in the upcoming white-ball tours to Australia and South Africa, then link up with the squad once again for the home series against Pakistan and New Zealand next summer before the ODI World Cup.

Speaking of Pietersen, he represented England in 136 ODIs and 37 T20Is, scoring more than 5,500 runs. “I am immensely proud to have been asked to help this team on their journey to win a World Cup in South Africa. Putting on the England uniform again for the first time since 2014 is a profound honour and a deeply special moment," he said in an official statement released by the ECB.

"We have an incredibly talented white-ball squad, and I am excited to get in the trenches and work relentlessly hard with these players to maximise their potential. To be a part of Brendon’s think tank over the next 12 months is a fantastic opportunity, and I cannot wait to get started," he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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