Kevin Pietersen and Mathew Hayden came under controversy recently for calling ex Indian Cricketer Ambati Rayudu a joker while on broadcast duties during the IPL final between KKR and SRH. 

The IPL final between SRH and KKR turned out to be a one sided affair as KKR completely dominated the proceedings. Kolkata's excellent bowling display meant that, Sunrisers Hyderabad were restricted to the lowest score in IPL final history with 113 runs. In the second innings, the Knight Riders absolutely steamrolled the opponents and won their third IPL crown. 

Before the match, Ambati Rayudu was wearing an Orange Blazer in support of SRH but after the match in the broadcast he had changed his jacket. When, Mayanti Langer pointed it out, both Kevin Pietersen and Mathew Hayden joked about it and called him a ‘joker’ on national television. To which, Rayudu simply joked that both of them were bullies. 

The incident created a major uproar and lot of Indian fans took to social media to abuse Ambati Rayudu. This did not bode well with Kevin Pietersen and he called out Indian Fans and slammed them in support of Ambati Rayudu. 

Also Read | 'This year remains special': Cummins and Vettori's final message to SRH

Kevin Pietersen slams Indian Fans

Kevin Pietersen did not take kindly to the trolls and abuse that Ambati Rayudu received and took to X to call out Indian fans and slam them over nonsense. He called out Indian fans and asked them to slow down their tribalism and favouritism for players. 

“This tribalism with/against Indian players on social media needs to slow down”, said Kevin Pietersen. 

Also Read | Gayle celebrates KKR's IPL 2024 victory on yacht, sends special message

He additionally said that what happened between him and Rayudu during the incident was nothing short of banter and requested fans to stop making a mountain out of nothing. 

“Raydu 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?”, said Kevin Pietersen. 

Kevin Pietersen has on numerous occasions over the past couple of months in IPL 2024 raised concerns over the treatment of Indian players on social media.