Zaheer Khan to act as a 'mentor' for younger bowlers in Delhi Daredevils

Zaheer Khan, Albie Morkel and Yuvraj Singh at the jersey unveiling event

The World Cup is over and it's now time to switch into T20 mode as another exciting season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is almost upon us. The auction saw all franchises go for many established players to already add to the abundant talent they possess. But one team that decided to undergo a complete revamp were the Delhi Daredevils. The Delhi side brought as many as 14 players at the auction that include the likes of Angelo Mathews, JP Duminy, Yuvraj Singh etc.

However, one purchase of the franchise that caught the attention of many was that of Indian pacer Zaheer Khan, who was bought for a sum of 4 crores. While there’s no doubt that the 36-year-old has got huge amount of experience, his last competitive match for any side came in the previous edition of the T20 tournament, where he played a few games before having to withdraw due to injury.

“We bought Zak as we value his wealth of experience”

Now, if a source in the Daredevils camp, is to be believed, then along with playing for them, Zaheer will also be entrusted with the responsibility of mentoring the bowlers.

"When he was bought, Zaheer was clearly told that it's his experience and knowledge that are valued more. His job is to guide the seamers and take care of strategizing. He will be helping the likes of Mohammad Shami and Jaydev Undakat,” the source said.

The source added that the Kirsten knows the fast bowler very well, considering that they worked together close to 3 years the Indian set-up.

“Gary knows Zaheer very well. Zaheer was his leading bowler during his stint as India coach. Gary knows exactly how he can be used,” he said.

Talking about playing for the Daredevils at the jersey launch, Zaheer said that he was looking to take one step at a time and looking forward to working with many new players at the Delhi setup.

"For the moment, I am enjoying playing cricket again. I have been out of it for so long. This DD side has a lot of fresh faces and I am looking forward to working with them. I am taking one step at a time and this IPL is definitely the first one," the 2011 World Cup-winner said.

The board director of the Daredevils, TA Sekar also feels that the bowler has still got some cricket under him.

"He has at least two seasons of T20 cricket left in him. He has to bowl just four overs, that too in split spells," he said.

The JP Duminy-led side will begin its 2015 campaign against the Chennai Super Kings on April 9th in Chennai.