KP returns to IPL after ECB snub England are a laughing stock: Smith

Sunrisers Hyderabad have been boosted by the arrival of Kevin Pietersen ahead of their crucial last two round robin matches, as they attempt to seal a play-offs berth. KP will join the team early Friday evening, the day SRH take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in Hyderabad. He will be available for selection for SRH’s last home game against Mumbai Indians on Sunday.

The star batsman was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad in this year’s auction but was allowed to return home to England to play county cricket at his request. However, being told the doors of the national cricket team were shut, despite his recent triple century in a county game, KP has decided to don the coloured clothing again.

“Kevin Pietersen will be joining us on the 15th of May in India. SRH picked Kevin at this year’s auction and he will be available to take part in the remainder of our campaign this season,” Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO K. S h a n mug a m said in a statement. “It is great news that KP will be joining us earlier than planned. To add a world-class batsman to our squad at the business end of the tournament is a huge bonus, we look forward to welcoming him to our squad,” head coach Tom Moody said.

KP made his IPL debut in 2009 and has played 32 games so far, scoring 928 runs at an impressive strike rate of 136.07. He is regarded as one of the most exciting and destructive batsmen in modern cricket.

PTI adds: In his column for the Daily Telegraph published on Wednesday, Pietersen wrote: “I am absolutely devastated that it looks like my hopes of an England recall have been brought to a close, especially given everything that has been said and asked of me.

“They have used the word ‘trust'’ to justify not selecting me, well, trust is a twoway thing. I couldn'’ t believe just half an hour after I had my meeting, the result of it was on the internet and on BBC. Now I certainly didn’t tell anybody, so who did? They say they don’t trust me, but how can anybody trust them?”

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith was among several pundits who slammed Andrew Strauss’ decision to prolong Kevin Pietersen’s international exile, saying it had made English cricket a “laughing stock”.

“I see the head boy is making English cricket the laughing stock again! #StraussLogic,” tweeted Smith.

Former England allrounder Andrew Flintoff, who played in the same 2005 Ashes-winning side as Pietersen, said players became more mature as they got older. “I thought If Pietersen was to play again he should fight his way back in which he has, as for personality he can be high maintenance then again so was I, but you do grow up and change.”

— PTI