"I said it was an academy for learning" - Kevin Pietersen hails IPL and likens it to The Hundred

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen feels that The Hundred is critical to the growth of English cricket and has backed it to produce better players. Pietersen also likened the tournament to the popular Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Hundred began in 2021 and challenged the perspectives of several former and current players. While the competition has gained popularity, it is yet to receive widespread support. Former England pacer Steve Harmison recently stated that the format doesn't work and feels only T20 cricket should move forward.

However, Pietersen has a different view. Speaking to Sky Sports, he claimed that such tournaments are critical for domestic players and recalled the IPL in the same vein.

The 42-year-old remembered how a young Virat Kohli rubbed shoulders with some of the best players and called it a learning academy for the senior players as well. He said:

"These tournaments are so important for domestic players. When the IPL started, I was at RCB and we had Virat Kohli in our side. He was a little guy and he sat next to Kallis, Kumble, Dravid, all these amazing players. "

"I said it was an academy for learning. No matter how many Test matches I played, no matter how many one-day internationals, it was an academy for all of us to learn. This will grow the domestic structure, make the domestic players better and that will produce better England players."

It's worth noting that based on the recently concluded season of The Hundred, the likes of Will Jacks, Jordan Cox, and Tom Helm have received international call-ups. All three have made it to England's 19-man squad for the seven-match T20I series in Pakistan this month. Jacks finished as the fourth-highest run-getter in the tournament, while Tom Helm was the joint-highest wicket-taker.

Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets won the men's and women's editions, respectively, this year.

Kevin Pietersen plied his trade for five IPL franchises:

Speaking of Pietersen's IPL career, he represented five franchises from 2009 to 2016. The 104-Test veteran also captained the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2009, but didn't enjoy a fruitful tenure, winning just three games.

He accumulated 1001 runs, including 14 fifties and a hundred, in 36 IPL games at an average of 37.07.