Kevin Pietersen praised the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for its presence in IPL matches. A former England cricketer called it the best in the world for the atmosphere it brings to cricket.
“If you love sports and the atmosphere it brings, you MUST, once in your life, come to this place and watch an IPL match. There is no better place in the world,” KP wrote on social media during the first match of IPL 2026 on March 28.
The RCB vs SRH match was played according to Virat Kohli. The 37-year-old, who retired from T20 internationals two years ago, scored an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls to take his team home. He immediately joined the Orange Cap race. Jacob Duffy, who will now wear the Purple Cap, won Man of the Match for his 3/22.
Social networks reacted to his tweet. Many Pakistani cricket fans posted sarcastic reactions.
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“Sure, nothing says ‘world class fun’ like paying a small fortune to sweat next to strangers while someone hits the ball…sounds like heaven,” wrote one.
Another Pakistani fan wrote: “Bro is trying his best to get views and appreciation from Indians…..I understand.”
One of them commented: “A country owned by IPL does not know what cricket is and how to show sportsmanship.”
“Don’t watch a league that has political involvement. In fact, don’t watch a single complete game after 2009,” said another.
“Money makes you do stupid things Kevin. You literally call the atmosphere of the T20 game unmatched. Only Test Cricket can provide thousands of such atmospheres as we witness every year in England and Australia and even NZ and SA,” commented another Pakistani user.
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“No doubt the cricket craze is huge in Asia. I hope there will be a crowd in PSL soon,” wished one of them.
However, many other users agreed with Pietersen. The post has racked up nearly half a million views on Twitter (now X).
Kevin Pietersen at RCB
Kevin Pietersen was one of RCB’s biggest signings. He was bought for the then record ₹7.5 million before the 2009 season. He captained the team for the first half of that year’s tournament held in South Africa.
He was the first English player to captain an IPL team. Under his leadership, RCB won 2 and lost 4 of their 6 matches. He left for England midway through the season and handed over the captaincy to Anil Kumble. RCB reached the final but without him.
Off the field, Pietersen’s impact was arguably greater. He was among the first to spot Virat Kohli’s potential, dubbing the young batsman a “chubby guy” in the dressing room.
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“When I sat on the bus with Virat and batted with Virat, I knew he was destined for excellence because of the way he approached the game, the way he learned and the questions he asked,” Pietersen told Betway.
Kevin Pietersen recently called RCB’s decision to drop Yuzvendra Chahal the “worst decision in IPL history”.
KP also credits Rahul Dravid’s email from this period for saving his career. It fixed his anti-spin technique. He printed that email in my autobiography
In IPL 2025, Pietersen served as the mentor of Delhi Capitals. He has since stepped down to focus on commentary.
