“PLEASE stop it?” - Kevin Pietersen issues clarification after calling Ambati Rayudu “joker” post IPL 2024 final
Kevin Pietersen took to X on Tuesday (May 28) to request the cricket fans to stop trolling Ambati Rayudu. During the post-match analysis of the IPL 2024 final on Star Sports, Pietersen light-heartedly called Rayudu a "joker."
It all happened when Rayudu decided to change his waistcoat from orange to blue after Kolkata Knight Riders secured a title victory over SunRisers Hyderabad. This led to Pietersen and Matthew Hayden pulling Rayudu's leg.
The former England skipper took aim at Rayudu for not standing firm with his pick, while pointing towards his purple dress (KKR). He said:
"I've at least held firm. I wore it and I owned it. You are a joker, always a joker," Pietersen said.
Here's the video:
After the clip went viral on X and other social media platforms, Rayudu became the center of trolls. However, Pietersen put out a tweet, expressing his disbelief over a funny banter turning into abuse towards the former Indian batter.
Here's 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?🙏🏽"
Ambati Rayudu has received criticism off-late
The 38-year-old has gone down heavily on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) this season and was criticized by the team's fans for the same following their league win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Although RCB sealed the playoff spot after beating CSK, they went down in Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals. In a tweet aimed at the RCB fans, he pointed out the failure of team management to construct a well-rounded team, who can win an IPL trophy.
Ambati Rayudu even stated that having an Orange Cap holder in the team doesn't guarantee an IPL trophy. He pointed out how RCB's Virat Kohli emerged as the best batter of the IPL 2024 season with 741 runs in 15 innings but was still not able to help the franchise lift the title. According to Rayudu, if RCB's leaders, over the years, didn't prefer individual milestones, the team would have won multiple titles.
Rayudu himself has won the IPL for a record six times (MI – 2013, 2015 and 2017 and CSK – 2018, 2021 and 2023).