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All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer played another match-winning knock to guide the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title and their first after a decade. The Purple Brigade beat the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets to clinch the title at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, May 26.
Chasing a paltry target of 114 runs, the Knight Riders were off to a flying start despite losing Sunil Narine in the second over. Venkatesh, who scored an unbeaten half-century in Qualifier 1, continued from where he left in the last game. The left-hander took the attack to the opposition bowlers from the word go and smacked four boundaries and three sixes to remain unbeaten on 52 off 26 balls.
Venkatesh scored at a rate of 200 to help KKR gun down the target in just 10.3 overs with eight wickets to spare. Skipper Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten on the other end on six runs off three balls.
Fans showered praise on Venkatesh Iyer for his spectacular batting display in the knockouts. This was his fourth half-century in five playoff games since IPL 2021. Here are some reactions from X:
A fan went further saying that Venkatesh Iyer should be retained ahead of the next IPL season.
"Venkatesh Iyer has shut my mouth for the 2nd year in a row. Deserves the 12 Cr contract if not more and ideally deserves to be retained yet again," he wrote.
A few fans reckoned that retaining Venkatesh over Shubman Gill was the right decision. One fan said:
"I have so much respect for this man, The unsung hero of KKR. Retaining Venkatesh Iyer over Shubman Gill is the biggest and best decision ever made by KKR."
"No regrets about the retention of Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer anymore. They proved their worth," another fan chimed in.
"Venkatesh Iyer is the underrated star in kkr, stepping down against fast bowlers is not easy as it looks. He proved his potential when it matters the most," wrote another fan.
How has Venkatesh Iyer fared in IPL 2024?
There were a lot of murmurs when the Kolkata Knight Riders retained Venkatesh Iyer ahead of star batter Phil Salt. However, the Madhya Pradesh-born cricketer has finally proved his worth when it mattered the most.
Venkatesh finished with 370 runs in 14 games at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 158.80, including four half-centuries. The best two knocks came in the playoffs when he scored an unbeaten 51 in Qualifier 1 against the SunRisers and followed it up with another 52* off 26 balls.
