Top News

KL Rahul Trolls Kevin Pietersen Over England Return With ‘Maldives’ Jibe

Sanjeev Kumar | September 8, 2026 9:23 PM CST

KL Rahul did not waste the chance to take a jibe at Kevin Pietersen after the England Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the former England batter will join the national team as a 'specialist white-ball mentor,' leading up to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027. The stint marks a dramatic return to the England side 12 years after he was sent into exile by the governing body over disciplinary issues, which marked the end of his glorious playing career at the international level.

This will mark the second time Pietersen will work in such a role after serving as Delhi Capitals' (DC) mentor in the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Indian cricket star Rahul was part of the Delhi-based side during Pietersen's tenure, and the duo evidently developed a good friendship. Rahul mocked Pietersen as during last year's IPL, despite working with the Capitals, he left the team for a week for a holiday in Maldives. "Is Maldives holiday included in the package?," Rahul commented on ECB's Instagram post.

Kevin Pietersen's Returns To England Team

Pietersen will join the team this month when the Harry Brook-led side host Sri Lanka in an ODI series and stay with the team till the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027. He will also travel with the team to South Africa and Australia later this year as well as home series against Pakistan and New Zealand next before the three Lions travel to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia for the mega event. Pietersen is among England's greatest ever batters, having succeeded in all three formats. Overall, he played 277 matches for his country (104 Tests, 134 ODIs, and 37 T20Is) and scored 13797 runs and 32 centuries. Pietersen was the Player of the Tournament (POTM) in the 2010 T20 World Cup, which was England's maiden senior men's ICC trophy victory.