Pietersen on air: 'Watching Rahul bat in powerplay is the most boring thing'

It seems like former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has taken a ruthless dig at KL Rahul amid the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday. When Rahul was struggling to free his arms against a formidable bowling attack led by superstar Trent Boult, the English commentator reportedly launched a surprise attack on the leader of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise.

With Rahul's shot selection and below-par strike rate leaving Pietersen unimpressed, the IPL commentator reportedly explained to the viewers how horribly it is to watch Rahul go about his business in the powerplay. 

According to multiple reports, Pietersen slammed Rahul during the IPL commentary. "Watching KL Rahul bat in the powerplay is the most boring thing I have ever been through," the former England cricketer is believed to have said on-air. Multiple tweets about Pietersen's alleged remarks soon became the talk of the town during LSG's match against former champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL 2023.

Pacer Boult made sure that the LSG skipper struggled to get going in the opening powerplay of the recently concluded encounter between Lucknow and Rajasthan. Rahul failed to open his account in the first six balls as Boult bowled a maiden over to give RR a flying start in match No.26 of the IPL 2023 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Rahul was mercilessly trolled for playing a patient knock in the powerplay.

Rahul only managed to reach a run-a-ball 19 at the end of the powerplay. The star batter scored four boundaries and smoked a massive six in his 32-ball 39 against RR. The former India vice-captain was dismissed by Jason Holder in the 11th over. LSG had posted 82-1 in 10.4 overs when Rahul received his marching orders.

While Rahul was criticised for his knock, West Indies opener Kyle Mayers smashed a quick-fire 51 off 42 balls to repay selectors' faith on matchday 26 of the IPL 2023. Riding on Mayers' 51 off 42 balls, Rahul's Lucknow Super Giants posted 154-7 in 20 overs. In reply, Sanju Samson's RR only managed to score 144-6 in 20 overs as the 2008 winners lost the match by 10 runs.