The Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians on Sunday night has given rise to a storm that’s refusing to die down. Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who is doing a commentary stint with the league after leaving his mentor’s role at Delhi Capitals earlier this month, has now joined the discussion and has offered his two cents on the matter.
In KKR’s defeat that saw MI chase down 221 rather comfortably, their all-rounder Cameron Green, who was purchased for a whopping ₹25.2 crore at the auction, didn’t bowl at all, and with the bat, he didn’t make much contribution either, just 18 runs off 10 balls. At the post-match presentation, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane was asked why Green didn’t bowl and he replied, “Ask Cricket Australia.”
Cricket Australia (CA) didn’t take long to hit back after Rahane’s hint that they might be to blame. They explained the allrounder was suffering from a lower back injury, picked up at the T20 World Cup, and that KKR had been informed about the situation. “Cameron has a lower back injury, which is being managed but requires him to abstain from bowling for a short period,” a CA spokesperson said.
“Cameron is currently rebuilding his bowling loads in India with a view to returning in around 10-12 days’ time.
“KKR has been communicated with and is fully aware of this information,” the spokesperson added.
The gist of what Pietersen said is that if the KKR knew about the whole thing, then Cricket Australia and the player should not be blamed. However, if the franchise was taken aback in the matter, their frustration with Green not bowling as per the contract is totally understandable.
“If KKR knew Green wasn’t allowed to bowl and paid that price for a batter, then it’s ok. That’s their call.
“If they bought an allrounder and now he’s not allowed to bowl, that’s NOT ok!” Pietersen wrote on X on Monday.
Going forward, until he can bowl, Green will have to perform well with the bat, because that’s the only way he can keep his critics quiet. In the coming days, there will be more scrutiny on him. But then that’s the price he has to pay. Every player that has had a big price tag in the IPL invariably goes through this. He is not the first, he won’t be the last.
