Kevin Pietersen delivered a scathing take on Cameron Green as KKR’s big-money buy continues to flop in the IPL 2026. Bought for Rs. 25.2 crores, Green has scored just 24 runs in three matches with an average of eight. He is yet to bowl a delivery in the tournament despite being expected to be the replacement for Andre Russell.
During the washed-out match against PBKS, Green was dismissed for four runs off two ballswith fans questioning the decision made by Kolkata to buy the all-rounder. While speaking to JioStar, Pietersen said that he doesn’t feel Green is good enough to bat No.3 for KKR and said he is a middle-order batter who can bowl a bit.
“I won’t talk about money (auction price), but I don’t think he is good enough for batting at No. 3. He is not bowling. Batting at 3 here and taking on that responsibility. He’s a middle-order batter who bowls a bit, and that’s what he does,” said Pietersen.
Green has batted twice during the season at No.3 and once at No.4 as KKR has continued to struggle to find the right combination. The all-rounder has struggled to make an impact all year in T20I, scoring 117 runs in seven matches and bowling just 7.1 overs.
GREEN NOT A SPECIALIST T20 PLAYER?
KKR do have the option of bringing in Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert or Rovman Powell to replace Green in the lineup. Powell was part of the lineup for the game against PBKS. Sanjay Bangar, who was also part of the discussion, said both Rachin and Green aren’t exactly T20 specialists, which is the order of the day when it comes to the IPL.
“You have to think of the specialists because if you think of Rachin Ravindra, and if you want to talk about Cameron Green, they are not necessarily proven T20 players, and when you’re picking overseas players, they have to be specialists because there are only 4 spots available,” said Bangar.
Bangar said if Green isn’t bowling, then he doesn’t fit well into just the batter category. If he was to pick the ideal player for KKR as a pure batter, Bangar said he would go with Powell, who is a T20 specialist and a proven commodity.
“So if you look at who is the ideal player, if Cameron Green is not bowling. Then he doesn’t fit into that just a batsman category as far as an overseas batter is concerned.”
“So you might as well think of Rovman Powell, who is a proven T20 specialist who bats and does a very specialised job. So I like Rovman Powell for the fact that he’s a specialist. He does a role, and he’s a proven commodity,” said Bangar.
Green has scored 731 runs in 32 matches so far in his IPL career and has 16 wickets to his name.
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