KKR team 2021's ₹20L prodigy Venkatesh Iyer slams 198 in Vijay Hazare Trophy game

Madhya Pradesh cricketer Venkatesh Iyer slammed 198 against Punjab in an Elite Group B game of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 season. In pristine batting conditions at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, the 26-year-old opened the batting and took on the Punjab bowlers with disdain, smashing 20 boundaries and seven sixes. Remarkably, he also picked up the wickets of Mandeep Singh and Gurkeerat Singh Mann later by sending down four overs to cap-off his complete all-round performance in the match.

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Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021: Venkatesh Iyer’s 198 sinks Punjab bowlers

Venkatesh Iyer missed his maiden List A double hundred by just two runs as he scored a rapid 198 from 146 balls. His innings propelled his side post a mammoth 402-3 from their 50 overs. Madhya Pradesh No. 4 batsman Aditya Shrivastava also clubbed an unbeaten 88 from just 56 balls in a six-laden display of batting while captain Parth Sahani scored a quickfire 13-ball 28*.

In response, the Punjab batsmen could only gather 297, despite a 49-ball century from their opening batsman Abhishek Sharma. Madhya Pradesh eventually won the match by 105 runs to register their third win of the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021 season.

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Venkatesh Iyer IPL contract: All-rounder among KKR team 2021 players

On February 18, Venkatesh Iyer was purchased by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise at the Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021) auction. He was among seven players to be added by the franchise at the auction alongside the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Shakib Al Hasan and Karun Nair. As per the auction proceedings, the Venkatesh Iyer IPL contract is worth ₹20 lakh.

A look into Venkatesh Iyer IPL contract for 2021 season

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KKR team 2021: List of KKR players

On January 20, the KKR camp announced a list of all their 17 retained players for the IPL 2021 season. Their retentions included captain Eoin Morgan, his deputy Dinesh Karthik and star all-rounders Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. At the auction, they further enhanced their squad by making seven additions.

List of KKR players for IPL 2021 season, watch video

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Image source: BCCI.TV