Former England superstar Kevin Pietersen and former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar have slammed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for their poor strategy around Cameron Green in the ongoing IPL 2026.
Cameron Green, the big-money Australian all-rounder, who has yet to bowl this season, left both cricket experts disappointed with his flop batting show for KKR.
Kevin Pietersen and Sanjay Bangar blast KKR as Cameron Green’s disaster continues in IPL 2026
KKR’s expensive all-rounder Green is currently going through a rough phase, and his struggle continued in their IPL 2026 game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Monday, April 6, at Eden Gardens. Coming in at No. 3, he could face only two balls for four runs before getting out.
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Fans and cricket experts were shocked to see a player of his reputation leave the crease so quickly, with Pietersen and Bangar questioning his spot in KKR’s playing XI in the tournament.
The former England batter said that Cameron Green, who was bought for INR 25.20 crore, is not doing what an all-rounder is supposed to do. He believes that the Kolkata Knight Riders are taking a huge risk by playing Green at No. 3 because he has not yet proved himself for such a big responsibility.
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He’s good enough to bat at No. 3: Kevin Pietersen on Green
Kevin Pietersen said on JioHotstar, “I’m against talking about the money because the money is something that just happens. These guys don’t earn as much money as some of the other sportsmen around the world. But obviously, a lot of people like to talk about what I like to talk about, which is cricketing ability. And whether or not you’re good enough to be in a position of power and batting a 3 in an IPL team, you have to be good enough to be able to perform at that level.”
The Englishman continued, “And I don’t think that he’s good enough to bat at number 3. He’s not bowling, so you have a look at what he has done. Yes, I’ve seen his; he got a 100 in Mumbai a couple of years ago. I’ve not seen enough of Cam Green to warrant batting a 3 here and taking on that responsibility. He’s a middle-order batter who bowls a bit, and that’s what he does.”
Sanjay Bangar calls Cameron Green “Just a Batter” without bowling impact
With Cameron Green not bowling, Bangar said that the Australian all-rounder is just another batsman, and that is not enough in the fast-paced T20 format. He feels KKR should rethink their strategy and use overseas slots wisely, as they are already falling behind in the race in the ongoing IPL 2026.
Bangar believes that players like Rovman Powell, who are proven T20 specialists, should be preferred over Green and Rachin Ravindra to strike the perfect team balance for three-time IPL champions. He openly said that Ravindra and Green are not “proven” T20 players and slammed the KKR for making a huge error in picking overseas players at the mini-auction.
‘KKR needs proven T20 specialists, not players like Green’
The former Indian coach has stressed that the overseas stars must be “specialists” because there are only four spots available. Bangar further stressed that Cameron Green is not bowling at the moment, so he doesn’t fit into that ideal tag because he is just a batsman, and playing an overseas batter doesn’t make any sense, especially in this fast-paced format.
He signed off by saying, “You have to think of the specialists. So, you might as well think of Rovman Powell, who is a proven T20 specialist who bats and does a very specialized job. So, I like Powell for the fact that he is a specialist, does a role, and is a proven commodity rather than hoping that someone would come good.”
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