Kevin Pietersen apologised for on-air ‘joker’ jibe, Ambati Rayudu says he could’ve fired back: ‘You did nothing for RCB’

After Kolkata beat Sunrisers to lift their third title in history, Pietersen, while in conversation with Matthew Hayden and Rayudu on Star Sports, mocked the Indian for switching allegiances. “I have at least held firm. I wore it and I owned it. You are a joker, always a joker,” Pietersen told Rayudu, pointing towards the jacket he wore. The former Chennai Super Kings batter responded, saying, “I am supporting both the teams. I am supporting good cricket.”

The ‘joker’ comment sparked widespread discussion on social media, with fans and analysts debating the exchange.

Recalling the episode in Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast, Rayudu explained why he changed his jacket during his broadcasting duty, saying it had nothing to do with which side he supported. He further said that in reply he could have questioned Pietersen’s contributions for Royal Challengers Bangalore during his IPL stint for the franchise between 2009 and 2010. The veteran batter, who won six IPL titles with CSK and Mumbai Indians, said he chose to maintain professional decorum and respect broadcast etiquette during the incident.

“That day we had not 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 did not do anything. I was maintaining professional decorum. He apologised later, also, for saying that on air. We were just having banter, but people took it in some way. But it affected him more and not me,” Rayudu said.

Pietersen’s IPL career spanned three franchises. He started with RCB, scoring 329 runs with two fifties across two seasons, before moving to Delhi Daredevils (2012–2014), and later representing the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016. Despite flashes of brilliance, his IPL career was often critiqued for inconsistency, which added weight to Rayudu’s on-air jab.