Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen was one of the few England cricketers to bag massive contracts in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In 2009, Pietersen, now retired, became one of the highest-paid IPL players when Royal Challengers Bangalore bought him for a whopping sum of Rs 9.8 crore.
The swashbuckling batsman had a good run during his prime in India. He justified the price tag with consistent scores against some of the top bowling attacks. But with the money came the jealousy of the team, according to former England skipper Michael Vaughan.
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Notably, Kevin Pietersen also had a fallout with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and then captain Andrew Strauss due to their reluctance in allowing cricketers play in IPL. Vaughan believes this was the beginning of the infamous differences among the cricketers in the England team.
“It wasn’t anything other than that Kev around that time wanted to go to the IPL. That’s how it all started to blow up and that’s when those factions came into play,” he said.
Furthermore, according to Michael Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen believed playing in the IPL with other top international players would help in the development of the ODI team. However, several members of the team felt Pietersen was only after the money.
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“He was saying to the team he wanted to play because it would further the development of the one-day team and all the one-day players would get the chance to play there and improve their game,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kevin Pietersen’s international career ended in 2014 when the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sacked him, saying that then captain Alastair Cook had to be able to trust and rely on the support of all his players. played 104 tests for England after making his debut against Australia at Lord’s in 2005. He scored 8,181 runs at an average of 47.28 and struck 23 centuries and 35 fifties.
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