Former India batter Ambati Rayudu took a dig at England legend Kevin Pietersen for his ‘joker’ comments post the Kolkata Knight Riders-Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2024 final in Chennai while on broadcasting duties. On the evening of the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Rayudu was seen sporting an orange waistcoat in support of SRH before switching to another colour later in the evening as the Knight Riders clinched their title.
Pietersen, who had backed KKR even before the game, had playfully mocked Rayudu for switching allegiances. “I have at least held firm. I wore it and I owned it. You are a joker, always a joker,” Pietersen told Rayudu on air. “I am supporting both the teams. I am supporting good cricket,” Rayudu had responded.
‘Didn’t do anything with RCB’
Recalling the incident in Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Rayudu said he was maintaining his professionalism without cheering for a specific side. The former Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians batter also said he could have questioned Pietersen’s IPL contributions while featuring for Royal Challengers Bengaluru if required.
“That day we had not picked teams. Chennai was hot, so I had two jackets. On air, he said whatever, but we could also tell him things because he played for RCB and did not do anything. I was maintaining professional decorum. He apologised later, also, for saying that on air. We were just having banter, but people took it in some way. But it affected him more and not me,” Rayudu said.
Kevin Pietersen’s IPL record
While Rayudu had won the IPL title a record six times with CSK and MI, Pietersen was not part of any IPL-winning side during his brief career with three sides. Representing RCB in 2009 and 2010, Pietersen scored 329 runs with two fifties. The former England captain then went onto represent the Delhi Daredevils and the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant, tallying 1001 runs in 36 IPL matches with a century and four fifties.
