On social media, former England captain Kevin Pietersen emphasized that his on-air criticism of Ambati Rayudu as a “joker” was only lighthearted banter after Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in the IPL 2024 final. Pietersen asked followers to desist from insulting Rayudu with hateful remarks and tribalism.
Following Kolkata Knight Riders’ convincing eight-wicket victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2024 final, former England captain Kevin Pietersen moved to social media to clarify that he was joking when he called Ambati Rayudu a “joker” on the air.
In a lighthearted moment, Pietersen made fun of Rayudu for his noticeable outfit change following KKR’s victory—their third IPL championship.
When Rayudu first appeared on the scene, he was wearing an orange waistcoat and was observed cheering on SRH. But following KKR’s victory, he changed to a blue waistcoat, grabbing the attention of pundits.
Known for his lighthearted jabs, Pietersen referred to Rayudu as a “joker” live. Rayudu changed his outfit, as host Mayanti Langer pointed out. Pietersen said, “I’ve at least held firm. I wore it and I owned it,” gesturing to his purple dress.
“You are a joker, always a joker,” he said in joking, to which Rayudu grinned and said, “I am supporting both the teams. I am supporting good cricket.”
On social media, what had begun as lighthearted banter suddenly got out of control. Pietersen responded to the backlash on X after observing the response.
“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?,” wrote the former England captain.
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