IPL 2020: Kevin Pietersen reminisces about his time in the Indian Premier League

Kevin Pietersen is a name that oozes stardom. The former English cricketer was one of the most flamboyant batsmen in the world, wreaking havoc on nearly every bowling line up in the world.

The Englishman also had a chance to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and entertain Indian fans with his willow. He represented Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils, and Rising Pune Supergiants. In the tournament, he amassed 36 appearances in the biggest franchise league in the world, scoring 1001 runs at an average of over 35 and a strike-rate of 134.72.

Now that he is retired, he has taken the time out to impart the knowledge he has gained from experience. The former England star, in an interview to Betway, spoke about important IPL was to him as it allowed him to rub shoulders with the greats and see, first-hand, the habits that made them some of the finest players of the game.

He also spoke about the pressures of playing in such a huge tournament as the amount of money, owners decide to spend on players automatically puts them in a position where a lot of expectations are placed on their shoulders. In the league, it isn’t just the money the team owners invest, but also fans who are known to be most active in IPL betting when the tournament is on. It’s safe to say a ton of money is at stake and everyone connected with the sport – be it fans or players – are glued on to the IPL when it’s on.

Pietersen was made the highest-paid IPL player of all time in 2009 when the Bangalore franchise decided to splash a whopping £1.1 million on him. In the free-wheeling chat, he revealed that he found himself feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders after being made the most expensive player in the history of the tournament at the time.

The Englishman also had the opportunity to captain both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils and spoke about his experience leading the side. He also revealed how he was able to guide Virat Kohli and stated that the Indian captain was always destined for greatness due to the mindset that he had from a young age.

Pietersen also fondly recalled the experience of batting with Virender Sehwag as the former India opener’s carefree batting was something that the Englishman thoroughly enjoyed.

The vocal former England cricketer even explained where the disagreement with the English Cricket Board emanated from. Despite the IPL landing him in hot soup with the national board, he fondly recalled the camaraderie he had with his former teammates in the IPL and claimed that the tournament stands peerless and unparalleled in the world of cricket due to its competitive edge and flamboyant spirit – which are the two qualities that define Kevin Pietersen as well.