New Delhi: Former England captain Kevin Pietersen ruled himself out Friday of the lucrative Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, saying he needed a breather after a packed schedule in recent months.

Pietersen, 36, played for the Rising Pune Supergiants franchise in the 2016 edition but could only manage four games before missing the rest of the competition with a calf injury.

"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!," Pietersen announced on Twitter.

The explosive batsman plied his trade in South Africa’s domestic T20 competition last year before playing a big part in taking Melbourne Stars to the semi-finals of Australia’s Big Bash League.

He also played for the Quetta Gladiators in the inaugural season of the Pakistan Super League in 2016 and is set to be part of the team once again for the upcoming tournament in February-March.

The tenth edition of the IPL is scheduled to begin in the first week of April and the auctions should take place at the end of this month.