Former English batsman Kevin Pietersen was one of the most aggressive players of his time. The right-handed batsman invented the switch hit in cricket while he also set new benchmarks for the upcoming generation of batsmen. Because of his unique batting skills, Pietersen was a hot commodity in the IPL Auction, and every team wished to have him in their squad.
During his long IPL career, the South Africa-born player represented Royal Challengers Bangalore, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, and Rising Pune Supergiant. He had an excellent record in the IPL. However, back in 2014, Pietersen entered the IPL Auction, with Delhi signing him for a staggering amount of 9 Crores INR.
Delhi exercised their Right To Match card to retain the English player’s services. Three teams had taken the price from 2 Crore to 9 Crore. Unfortunately, they could sign the player that they wanted. Here’s a list of the three teams that wanted to sign Kevin Pietersen but could not.
Kings XI Punjab
The finalists of IPL 2014, Kings XI Punjab, were one of the three teams in the race to sign Kevin Pietersen in 2014. They got stiff competition from their competitors, and when the price exceeded 5 Crores, the Preity Zinta-owned franchise quit the race. It is interesting to note that the Mohali-based IPL team had the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Virender Sehwag, and David Miller in their squad that year. One can only imagine what would have happened had they got Kevin Pietersen onboard.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Playing their only second season in the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad had managed to outbid everyone in the race and sign Kevin Pietersen at the price of 9 Crores INR. Hyderabad made some exciting signings like David Warner, and they already had Shikhar Dhawan in their squad. So, this triplet could have easily destroyed all the bowling attacks in IPL.
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings bid aggressively to sign Kevin Pietersen in IPL 2014. They fought the bidding war until the end. Still, they could not hire him. It seems like MS Dhoni wanted to have the right-handed batsman in his team because, in 2016, Rising Pune Supergiant, Dhoni’s new franchise, had signed Pietersen. The duo of Pietersen and Dhoni is known for their excellent friendship off the field. The fans had witnessed how they engaged in a hilarious banter during IPL 2017.
Unfortunately, the CSK fans never got to see two of the best white-ball batsmen of all time in the yellow jerseys.
