Former India batter Ambati Rayudu has finally broken his silence on the viral “joker” incident involving Kevin Pietersen during the IPL 2024 final. Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Rayudu clarified that it was all light-hearted banter on live television and that people on social media took it too seriously.
During the broadcast, Pietersen had pointed at Rayudu’s jacket and quipped, “I have at least held firm. I wore it and I owned it. You are a joker, always a joker.”
Rayudu had calmly responded, “I am supporting both teams. I am supporting good cricket.”
Why Rayudu Changed His Jacket
Rayudu revealed that his jacket switch during the broadcast had nothing to do with supporting any particular team.
“That day, we hadn’t picked teams. Chennai was hot, so I had two jackets. On air, he said whatever, but we could also tell him things because he played for RCB and didn’t do anything,” Rayudu said.
He admitted he could have fired back at Pietersen by questioning his short IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru between 2009 and 2010 but chose not to in order to maintain professionalism.
Professionalism Over Retaliation
Rayudu confirmed that Pietersen later apologised to him privately.
“I was maintaining professional decorum. He apologised later for saying that on air. We were just having banter, but people took it in some way. But it affected him more than me,” Rayudu added.
Pietersen’s Clarification
After social media outrage, Pietersen took to Twitter (X) urging fans to stop targeting Rayudu.
“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 turned into an avalanche of abuse towards Ambati. PLEASE stop it? 🙏🏽”
IPL Career Note
Pietersen began his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, scoring 329 runs with two fifties across two seasons. He later played for Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiants. That year, Kolkata Knight Riders went on to lift the IPL 2024 title.
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