Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen said that South African all-rounder Chris Morris was not worth the money he was bought for by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. Morris was bought for Rs 16.25 crores in the auction, starting with a base price of 75 lakh, and became the most expensive player in the history of the tournament. 

Also read | IPL stars lucky as COVID-19 cases surge in India, says England pacer Chris Woakes

“This is going to sound harsh, but he (Morris) went for a lot more money than I would have ever paid for, to be completely honest”, said Pietersen during a TV show. “I just don’t think that he’s worth that kind of number. I think there’s pressure on him”, he said during the TV show Select Dugout on Star Sports.

“He’s not a first choice for the South African side. So, I think we’re expecting too much,” Pietersen said. “There’s too much talked about him. I don’t think he’s the kind of guy that’s going to consistently deliver”.

“I mean this with the greatest deal of respect. There’s nothing special about what he does, and if he does run-in, he’ll run-in for two games. And then he’ll go missing for a few games and it’s not the kind of thing that you should be seeing. He has the attributes,” he added. 

Also read | ‘Partnership with Kohli made it easier to hit boundaries in middle overs’: Devdutt Padikkal

Morris, in the first four matches of IPL 2021 for RR, has scored 48 runs at a strike rate of 154.83, which includes a match-winning, unbeaten 36 against Delhi Capitals. He has also picked up five wickets at an economy of 9.92 with the best bowling figures of 2/33.