Dubai: Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who was in the UAE to commentate on the Indian Premier League, left the country to head back to the UK to spend time with his children.

The 40-year-old, who represented England in 104 Test matches and was also a popular IPL player for Royal Challengers Bangalore, ended his commentary stint at the lucrative league as he was missing his family.

“I left the IPL as it’s half-term for my kids and I want to be at home with them. It’s been a strange year, so now they’re off school, I want to be with them all day, every day,” tweeted Pietersen.

The former England skipper will be replaced by ex-Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who is already in Dubai. 

Pietersen also put his views on the IPL 2020 competition on a blog after announcing his departure. He said he was happy to see bowlers catching up.

“Yes, it’s been spectacular to watch the guys hit the ball as far as they can – which, by the way, is consistently out of the stadium. But it’s great to see that the bowlers are starting to catch up,” wrote Pietersen.

Pietersen also wrote that the IPL is going to be a three-way contest with RCB, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians being the main contenders.

Pietersen had on Thursday night criticised RCB skipper Virat Kohli’s decision to send in AB de Villiers at No. 6 against Kings XI Punjab despite the South African having played a 33-ball 73-run knock batting at No. 4 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous game on Monday.