Venkatesh Iyer - India Sport Club

Venkatesh Iyer, an Indian cricketer born on December 25, 1994, competes for both Kolkata Knight Riders and Madhya Pradesh in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The left-handed batter has also represented India. He has come a long way from opening for KKR down the order.

Personal Information

Full name	Venkatesh Rajasekaran Iyer
Born	25 December 1994 (age 28) Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
Role	Batting all-rounder

Domestic Career

Iyer, who was studying a Bachelor of Commerce degree, made his List A debut against Saurashtra cricket team at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in December of the same year and his Twenty20 debut against Railways cricket team at Holkar Stadium in March of that same year. He chose to drop out and register in a Master of Business Administration in finance after clearing the CA Intermediate exams so that he could continue playing cricket. On December 6, 2018, allrounder made his Madhya Pradesh first-class debut during the Ranji Trophy for the 2018–19 season. With 155 runs at an average of 51.66, Iyer ended as Madhya Pradesh’s leading scorer in the 2021–22 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Venkatesh maintained his form in the 2021–22 Vijay Hazare Trophy, batting in the bottom middle order and accumulating 379 runs at an average of 63.16 with a strike rate of above 133. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, opening batsman became the first batsman to record a score of 150 or more while batting at number six or below with the help of two centuries, one of which was a score of 151. Additionally, Venkatesh claimed 9 wickets in six games.

First Class Statistics

MATCH	RUN	AVG	HS	100	50	CT
12	545	32.50	93	0	6	5

List A Statistics

MATCH	RUN	AVG	HS	100	50	CT
32	1252	48.15	198	4	4	17

IPL Career and Statistics

Iyer was purchased by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL auction in February 2021 before to the 2021 Indian Premier League. He made his IPL debut on September 20, 2021, the first day the IPL resumed in the United Arab Emirates, playing against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Iyer hit his first IPL fifty against the Mumbai Indians on September 23 2021. Venkatesh became an important member of the KKR team for the remainder of the competition, contributing to their run to the championship game by scoring 370 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 129. He scored 55 runs in the second qualifier to earn player of the match honors and added another 50 runs in the championship game. Venkatesh put up a 91-run opening stand with his opening partner Shubman Gill, but it all in vain as KKR lost the game. Left handed batsman got his first IPL century against the Mumbai Indians on April 16 2023, scoring 104 runs in 51 balls. As a result, batsman became just the second batter for KKR to make a century after Brendon McCullum in the inaugural IPL encounter played 15 years ago. However, his century was for nothing as KKR was trounced by Mumbai Indians.

MATCH	RUN	AVG	SR	HS	100	50	CT
34	923	28.84	129.09	104	1	7	12

International Career and Statistics

Iyer was urged to remain in the UAE so that he might join the Indian team for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021 as a net bowler. was selected for India’s Twenty20 International (T20I) team for their series against New Zealand in November 2021. On November 17, 2021, he played his first T20 International for India against New Zealand. In the series’ last game, Venkatesh made his international bowling debut, posting figures of 3-0-12-1. In December 2021, Iyer was named in India’s One Day International (ODI) squad for their series against South Africa. Venkatesh made his ODI debut on 19 January 2022, for India against South Africa.