Kolkata Knight Riders bought big-money auctioneer Cameron Green in his very first over for the franchise on Thursday, April 9. The Australian all-rounder, who was heavily criticized for not bowling in his first few matches of the Indian Premier League 2026, responded to his critics by dismissing Rishabh Pant in his very first innings of the tournament.
Green’s short ball meant for the Lucknow Super Giants skipper in the ninth over of the match and dealt a considerable blow to the batting line-up. The Australian all-rounder, who was bought for a hefty Rs 25.20 crore in the IPL auction, faced criticism for not bowling in KKR’s first two matches of the season.
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Former England international Kevin Pietersen even questioned Green’s place in the playing eleven if he was not contributing with the ball.
“I won’t talk about the money (auction price) but I don’t think he’s good enough to bat at No. 3. He’s not bowling. He’s batting at 3 here and taking that responsibility. He’s a middle-order batsman who bowls a bit and that’s what he does,” Pietersen told Star Sports.
The controversy first surfaced in KKR’s opening match of the season when skipper Ajinkya Rahane was asked why Green was left out of the heavy defeat against Mumbai Indians.
A frustrated Rahane replied that the question was best directed at Cricket Australia, suggesting the franchise was not fully aware of Green’s bowling limitations at the time of the auction.
However, Cricket Australia clarified the situation a few hours later, stating that KKR had been informed in advance that Green would not be bowling in the opening phase of the tournament due to a back injury.
“Cameron has a lower back injury which is being treated but requires him to be sidelined from bowling for a short period of time,” a CA spokesman said.
“KKR has been contacted and is fully aware of this information,” the statement added.
But on that day, Green’s bowling in the overs with the ball really helped KKR bring back some pressure in the middle overs. Green got rid of Rishabh Pant while Sunil Narine at the other end suffocated LSG with his arcane spin.
A middle-overs comeback helped KKR drag the game back in their favor after Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram’s opening burst. KKR had earlier scored 181 runs for the loss of 4 wickets after being sent in to bat first at Eden Gardens.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
09 Apr 2026 22:38 IST
