Former England captain Kevin Pietersen revealed that his international cricket career was cut short because of clashes with then England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officials over his participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
In an YouTube interview, Pietersen alleged that the ECB used the media to launch a “witch hunt’ against him during the initial years of the IPL.
The ECB had barred participation of players with central contracts in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. Dimitri Mascarenhas was the only English player to play that year. However, in the following year, England allowed players to participate but for a limited three-week window. Pietersen featured for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009 and prioritised IPL, which created tensions with the ECB.
“I made big sacrifices. I lost my career. That’s the reason why everybody in that establishment went against me,” Pietersen said.
“I was 33 when my England career finished, after 104 Test matches. I should have played 150-160 Tests and scored 12,000-13,000 runs. That’s what I should have achieved.”
“The ECB used The Telegraph to go after me… I don’t want to go too deep into it. It was well-publicised, and I live a very happy, peaceful life now,” he added.
Pietersen, who invented the switch-hit, finished his Test career with 8,181 runs, which included 23 centuries and 35 fifties. However, he admitted that because of his stand, the future generations of England players benefited of having the freedom to play T20 franchise cricket around the world.
“I interviewed Jos Buttler a few days ago, and he also said ‘thank you.’ Because of the sacrifices I made, these guys can enjoy the fruits now,” he said.
In IPL, Pietersen played for Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was also the mentor of Delhi Capitals in 2025.
