Kevin Pietersen went to X on Tuesday (May 28) to ask cricket fans to stop harassing Ambati Rayudu. During the post-match review of the IPL 2024 final on Star Sports, Pietersen jokingly labeled Rayudu a “joker.”
It all began when Ambati Rayudu wanted to change his waistcoat from orange to blue following Kolkata Knight Riders’ title triumph over SunRisers Hyderabad. This resulted in Pietersen and Matthew Hayden pulling Rayudu’s leg.
The former England captain criticized Rayudu for not sticking to his selection while pointing to his purple outfit (KKR). He said:
“I’ve at least held firm. I wore it and I owned it. You are a joker, always a joker.”
Kevin Pietersen
Here’s the video:
After the video went popular on X and other social media platforms, Rayudu became the target of haters. Pietersen, on the other hand, tweeted his surprise that a humorous exchange had devolved into insults directed at the former Indian batter.
This is what Pietersen posted:
“Come on guys! This tribalism with/against Indian players on social media needs to slow down!”Example -@RayuduAmbati and I were messing around after the IPL final and all of sudden that banter has turned into an avalanche of abuse towards Ambati. PLEASE stop it?”
Kevin Pietersen
Ambati Rayudu has received criticism off-late
The 38yeÂarold seems to have reÂally taken a hit from the Royal ChallengeÂrs Bengaluru (RCB) this season. The teÂams fans didnt spare any criticism after their leÂague win over Chennai SupeÂr Kings (CSK).
RCB secureÂd a playoff spot by outplaying CSK only to falter in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals. In a tweeÂt to RCB fans the spotlight was on team managemeÂnts failure to build a championshipworthy squad.
Ambati Rayudu has also claimed that having an Orange Cap bearer on the squad does not guarantee an IPL trophy. He highlighted how RCB’s Virat Kohli emerged as the top hitter of the IPL 2024 season, scoring 741 runs in 15 innings but failing to assist the side win the trophy. According to Rayudu, if RCB’s leaders had not preferred individual accomplishments throughout the years, the team would have won more titles.
Rayudu has a record six IPL victories (MI in 2013, 2015, and 2017, and CSK in 2018, 2021, and 2023).