"That's Not OK": Kevin Pietersen's On KKR vs Cricket Australia Row Over Cameron Green

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has weighed in on the ongoing controversy involving Cameron Green and Kolkata Knight Riders. The all-rounder, who was bought for Rs 25.20 crore (with a salary cap of Rs 18 crore), did not bowl a single over in KKR's IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Although Green contributed a brisk 18 off 10 balls with the bat, his absence as a bowling option proved costly as KKR suffered a six-wicket defeat in their season opener against the five-time champions.

During the post-match interaction, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane appeared visibly disappointed, admitting that he was unable to use Green as a bowler during the game. Rahane revealed that Cricket Australia is yet to grant full clearance to Green to resume bowling.

As Rahane's comments went viral, Cricket Australia quickly issued a clarification, stating that Green is still recovering from a lower-back injury sustained during the T20 World Cup and that KKR was fully informed about his condition.

"Cameron has a lower-back injury which is being managed, but it requires him to abstain from bowling for a short period," a Cricket Australia spokesperson said.

"Cameron is currently rebuilding his bowling loads in India with a view to returning in around 10-12 days' time. KKR has been communicated with and is fully aware of this information," the spokesperson added.

Commenting on the situation, Pietersen stated that if KKR had invested in Green as an all-rounder, then his absence as a bowler was wrong. 

"If KKR knew Green wasn't allowed to bowl and paid that price for a batter, then it's ok. That's their call. If they bought an allrounder and now he's not allowed to bowl, that's NOT ok!" Pietersen wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Coming back to the match, Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton struck blazing half-centuries to help the Mumbai Indians romp to a six-wicket win, ending their embarrassing streak of not winning their opening match in 13 seasons.

Topics mentioned in this article

Kolkata Knight Riders Mumbai Indians Cameron Green Kevin Pietersen Ajinkya Rahane IPL 2026 Cricket