"How do I enter the IPL auction?" - Kevin Pietersen shares cheeky post following blistering knock in Legends League Cricket
Former England batter Kevin Pietersen recently shared a video of his sensational half-century in Qualifier Two of the Legends League Cricket (LLC). He captioned it with a cheeky line, enquiring about joining the upcoming IPL auction on December 19.
Playing for India Capitals, Pietersen smashed a majestic 56 off 27 deliveries with two boundaries and five maximums against Manipal Tigers on December 7. Coming in at 53/3, the right-hander was his usual belligerent self and helped the Capitals post a competitive 177/9 in 20 overs.
Unfortunately for him though, the innings went in vain. The Tigers hunted down the target with six wickets and eight balls to spare, to qualify for the final.
A day after producing a knock reminiscent of his playing days with England and in the IPL, Kevin Pietersen captioned the video:
"Last night. How do I enter the IPL auction?"
The Capitals' elimination notwithstanding, Pietersen enjoyed a successful LLC campaign, scoring 169 runs at an average of 42.25 and a strike rate of 177.89.
Regarded among the most feared batters of his generation, Pietersen represented England for a decade and helped them win the 2010 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. He scored over 13,500 runs in his stellar international career, with 32 centuries in 277 games.
How did Kevin Pietersen fare in his IPL career?
While his stardom reached stratospheric levels in international cricket, Kevin Pietersen blew hot and cold in the IPL.
In 2009, Pietersen was the then-highest-paid player of the IPL along with England teammate Andrew Flintoff, with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) having acquired his services. Pietersen was also appointed the captain for the 2009 season but he won only two out of six matches before returning home for international commitments.
The South African-born cricketer also had a debut season to forget with the bat, averaging only 15.50 at a strike rate of under 110. But he rebounded in style next year, scoring 236 runs in seven games at an average of 59 and a strike rate of over 150.
Pietersen was not retained by the franchise, and he went to the Deccan Chargers in 2011. But he did not play a single game for the Chargers, and moved to the Delhi Daredevils for the 2012 season.
The champion cricketer enjoyed arguably his best IPL season in the Delhi shirt. He scored 305 runs at an average of 61 and a strike rate of 147.34 in eight games, including his lone IPL century.
Pietersen missed the 2013 season and had a mediocre 2014, scoring 294 runs at an average of 29.40 and a strike rate of 126.18.
He was bought by the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2015, but released before the start of the season. Pietersen's final IPL season came with the Rising Pune SuperGiants in 2016, where he played only four games and scored 73 runs at an average of 36.50 before missing the remainder of the tournament with injury.
Overall, Kevin Pietersen played 36 games in the IPL and scored just over 1,000 runs at an average of 37.07 and a strike rate of 134.72.