"Banter Turned Into Avalanche Of Abuse": Kevin Pietersen Clarifies 'Joker' Dig At Ambati Rayudu

Former Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians batter Ambati Rayudu has been a man in the headlines ever since the Royal Challengers Bengaluru were knocked out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign. Rayudu didn't hesitate in taking a swipe at the Bengaluru franchise for the manner in which it is run while also targeting Virat Kohli in a subtle manner, suggesting it's not the Orange Cap that wins a team the IPL title but collective effort. Rayudu's most recent attempt targeting RCB came after the IPL 2024 final, where he got involved in a banter with former England captain Kevin Pietersen on Live TV.

Pietersen, in reaction to Rayudu's 'Orange Cap' dig at Kohli, was caught calling the former India star a 'joker', with the incident going viral on social media. However, Pietersen has now issued clarification.

"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 a sudden that banter has turned into an avalanche of abuse towards Ambati.

PLEASE stop it?," he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

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?

Here's how the full conversation unfolded between Rayudu, Pietersen and the broadcaster's pundit after the IPL 2024 final:

Rayudu: When you have a stalwart and a legend like Virat Kohli, who has set really high standards, it's very hard for the youngsters to be in a side like that and try and match his standard because he always wants the team to be