Former England captain and middle-order batter Kevin Pietersen has issued a statement over calling Ambati Rayudu a joker during a post-match show in the IPL 2024 final on Sunday between the Kolkata Knight Riders and SunRisers Hyderabad. Pietersen took to X and called for tribalism against Indian players to stop as he and Rayudu were only messing around.
Rayudu was supporting the SunRisers before the match and also wearing an orange costume, while Pietersen was with the Knight Riders. However, the former had changed his costume to purple after the match, prompting Pietersen to roast Rayudu. In a post-match show, Pietersen told Rayudu the following:
"I've at least held firm. I wore it and I owned it. You are a joker, always a joker," Pietersen further went on to say."
Rayudu reverted on it by stating:
"I am supporting both the teams. I am supporting good cricket."
In a latest statement, Pietersen suggested to have been surprised by how a banter has turned into an abuse against Rayudu and stated on X:
"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?"
