Kirsten admits coaching in the IPL means a new set of challenges.

It’s 4.30 in the evening and Albie Morkel has just taken a break from bowling. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and sips on Gatorade. Not far away, Delhi Daredevils coach Gary Kirsten is involved in an animated discussion with another marquee foreign player — Angelo Mathews.

The Daredevils, under Kirsten, are in the middle of an intense training session at the Palam Ground. A posse of journalists wait in anticipation as they look to interact with the celebrity coach.

Kirsten is still a huge draw in this part of the globe thanks to 2011 World Cup-winning feat with the Indian team. But that’s only one of his many accomplishments. Much before the crowning glory at the Wankhede, in the winter of 2009, he had mentored India as they planted their flag on the Test summit. Later, he would help the Graeme Smith’s South Africans do the same.

For such a successful coach, mastering Twenty20 oddly remains a bit of a mystery. Under his watch, India and South Africa, between them, lost nine out of nine Super Eight matches across three World T20s (2009, 2010, 2012). When Kirsten joined the IPL last year, he fared no better: the Delhi Daredevils finished bottom of the heap with just two wins out of 14 games.

The former South Africa opener admits that coaching an IPL team has its own set of challenges, something which caught him off-guard last year.

“The IPL is different to international cricket and takes a bit of time getting used to, so any coach will take time in getting adjusted to the setting and I am no different.

“Having said that, I must admit that I have learnt a lot (as a coach) from my stint last year,” Kirsten says.

The Daredevils made some aggressive bidding in the IPL auction in February, and they will hoping for some quick return on their buck. Kirsten insists that the current squad have it in them to perform well.

“I am looking forward to the season ahead. Yes, it has been a tough two seasons for the franchise. Sometimes with that there comes a great opportunity. However, we have put together a decent squad this year. We have assembled some quality senior players from around the world. That apart, we also have a bunch of exciting youngsters as well. So we have a nice balanced side,” he says.

Kirsten’s imprint is there to be seen on the team, including in the choice of captain. JP Duminy’s appointment as the Daredevils skipper has raised a few eyebrows, however, given that Kevin Pietersen’s captaincy last year was a disaster, it could be assumed that Kirsten wanted somebody he could completely rely on in the leadership role.

“Duminy has had some experience captaining the T20 side in South Africa. Moreover, we wanted to have some continuity as he has played with the Daredevils before and he knows most of the Indian players well… so I guess he was the natural choice (as captain) as we felt he has good leadership credentials.”

Kirsten also tries to quells all talk surrounding the role of an out-of-favour Zaheer Khan in the Daredevils set-up. “He has a wealth of experience and he has great ideas when it comes to T20 bowling. I want him to be the mentor for our younger bowlers. He obviously is deeply motivated and has a lot of aspirations as a player.”

DD get new bowling coach

Former South Africa medium pacer Alfonso Thomas has been roped in by the Delhi Daredevils as a bowling coach for the coming season. The 38-year-old, who played for the now-defunct Pune Warriors India in 2011 and 2012 editions, is excited with his new role.

“I have enjoyed my time as a player in the IPL. It is, therefore, very special for me to be working with Delhi Daredevils squad. When the call came through from Gary, I jumped at the opportunity. I am looking forward to sharing all that I have learnt. The squad has a number of experienced bowlers like Zaheer Khan and Albie Morkel, along side promising talents like Mohammed Shami, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Gurinder Sandhu. It is an exciting opportunity for me to work with this group,” Thomas said in a media release sent by the Daredevils.