In a recent development, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has defended former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu after receiving criticism on social media. The controversy erupted after a video of Pietersen and Rayudu having a lighthearted exchange during the IPL 2024 final went viral.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) faced the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024 final, which was held in Chennai. The match ended with KKR winning, and outclassing SRH in an exciting final clash. Amidst all the excitement, there was a video that went viral that showed Pietersen and Rayudu joking around.

The incident occurred when Rayudu, who was wearing an orange waistcoat throughout the match, was seen wearing a blue one following KKR's victory.

“Thank you for bringing out the fact that he changed from orange to blue,” pointed out host Mayanti Langer.

“I’ve at least held firm. I wore it and I owned it,” said Pietersen pointing out towards his purple attire. “You are a joker, always a joker.

Rayudu responded: “I am supporting both the teams. I am supporting good cricket.”

As the video became widely spread on Monday, Rayudu received harsh remarks and abuse from online trolls. Kevin Pietersen, known for his open attitude, stepped in to defend his colleague by urging everyone to refrain from “tribalism with/against Indian players on social media”.

“Come on guys! This tribalism with/against Indian players on social media needs to slow down!” he wrote on X. “Example – @RayuduAmbati 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? 🙏🏽