Dubai, Feb 20: Kevin Pietersen is excited at the prospect of playing under Virender Sehwag at the Delhi Daredevils franchise in IPL 2012. The England star, who represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2009 and 2010 editions, was signed by the Deccan Chargers last year but couldn’t play a single game due to injury.

“It is a big move for me. It’s an honour to play for Delhi Daredevils,” Pietersen said. “It is a fantastic franchise in one of the biggest cities in India. Unfortunately, I did not get to play for Deccan because of a surgery last season. I loved playing for Bangalore and I am sure I will absolutely love playing for Delhi Daredevils,” he said after launching the new team jersey in Dubai.

Pietersen said he was pleased with the composition of the Delhi franchise for the 2012 season after they snapped up veteran Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene at the IPL Player Auction 2012.

“Delhi Daredevils looks very, very strong with Mahela, Andre Russell, [Doug] Bracewell, [David] Warner, and the two really promising fast bowlers in Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav. Ashok Dinda has had a great season in India and we also have Ajit Agarkar and Irfan Pathan. My favourite, Roelof van der Merwe, is also there. We are a bunch of very experienced cricketers and there is no reason why we can’t push for the final,” KP said.

The dashing batsman acknowledged the role of the Indian Premier League in building bonds between players from different countries. “It is a fantastic tournament for both sets of players. The youngsters can learn from guys who have been around for a long time. The game has got a lot better because of the IPL. For instance, touring India for England has become a lot better because of the bonding developed while playing in the league.”

When asked to name the Indian players he has befriended thanks to IPL, KP said, “Rahul [Dravid] and Virat [Kohli] are guys I speak to a lot. They are really, really good guys with whom I get along well and spend a lot of time with. They have assisted me in certain areas of my game. I did help Virat when he was playing the Tests in Australia and I am thrilled that he has had a good tour.”

About playing alongside the irrepressible Sehwag, Pietersen said, “To get the opportunity to play with the guy and be captained by him is something. Though I have played a lot of cricket, I am still a youngster at heart and I love seeing such players entertain the cricketers and fans.

"I am certainly a big fan of Sehwag and love to watch him in action. He plays with a carefree attitude and he plays so well. His averages, and the 219 he scored in a One-Day International, prove it. The man is a superstar, a legend. To play alongside him is going to be absolutely magnificent,” said an excited Pietersen.