KKR vs MI: Venkatesh Iyer fires 53 off 30 balls; fans say 'Indian version of Gayle

Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) batsman Venkatesh Iyer, who played his second game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday against Mumbai Indians, hit another blistering knock after previously hitting 41 runs on his debut against Royal Challengers Bangalore(RCB). Venkatesh Iyer smashed 53 runs off 30 balls studded with six fours and two sixes in his innings.

Iyer along with Rahul Tripathi stitched together a partnership of 88 runs of 52 balls before getting bowled by MI star-pacer Jasprit Bumrah in the 12th over of KKR’s innings. KKR went on to win the match by seven wickets after successfully chasing down the target of 156 runs set by MI.

Netizens hail Vernkatesh Iyer

Rahul Tripathi, along with Venkatesh Iyer, starred in the match as KKR marched to victory with almost 5 overs remaining. Upon witnessing the sensational knock by Venkatesh Iyer, fans on social media quickly expressed their excitement and thoughts on the 26-year-old making look batting easy against one of the top bowling units of the IPL, consisting of players like Bumrah and Trent Boult. A Twitter user while appreciating Iyer’s knock labeled him as a player made up of 24-carat pure gold.

Another user said that Venkatesh Iyer is a tall version of Sunil Narine. Narine earlier opened the innings for KKR in previous seasons and was known for hitting the bowlers out of the park with ease.

One of the users replied, “what a find”, hailing KKR’s decision to buy the Venkatesh Iyer at the IPL Auctions 2021, 

Meanwhile, other users said that Iyer is a one-of-a-kind player and he seems really serious.

Other users compared Iyer with the likes of legendary Caribbean cricketer Chris Gayle and said that he is an Indian version of Chris Gayle.

Venkatesh Iyer was roped in by KKR during the IPL Auctions 2021, on the back of his domestic records. He has played 38 T20 matches till now in the domestic circuit and has scored 724 runs at a strike rate of 138.33 and an average of 38.25. After getting picked by KKR in the auctions he responded by amassing 198 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy while playing against Punjab in the latter half of February 2021.

(Twitter Image: Kolkata Knight Riders/ BCCI)