Pietersen pulls out of IPL 2017

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has pulled out of the 2017 season of the Indian Premier League.

The batsman, citing a busy winter as the reason, said he will not be entering the IPL auction scheduled for later this month.

"I won't be going into the IPL auction," Pietersen announced on Twitter. "My winter has been too busy with all my travel & I don't want to spend April/May away too!"

FYI - I won't be going into the IPL auction. My winter has been too busy with all my travel & I don't want to spend April/May away too!

— KP (@KP24) February 3, 2017

Pietersen, 36, played for Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016 but was sidelined with a calf injury, missing a major part of the tournament as a result.

Pietersen recently played the domestic T20 tournament in South Africa and the Big Bash League in Australia, where he scored 268 runs in eight innings before the Melbourne Stars lost in the semifinal.

He is part of the Quetta Gladiators franchise of the Pakistan Super League 2017, which will kick off on February 9.