NEW DELHI: All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) contributed significantly to his team's third Indian Premier League (IPL) championship victory on Sunday at Chennai's Chepauk Stadium by going undefeated in half-century versus Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Continuing his excellent form from the IPL knockout rounds, Venkatesh struck 52* in 26 balls with four boundaries and three sixes at a strike rate of 200.00 in the final, speeding KKR's easy 114-run chase and finishing it in the first half of the innings.
Iyer has performed admirably for KKR in the IPL playoffs. Iyer made 26 runs in 30 balls to help KKR defeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2021 elimination match. Iyer struck 55 in 41 balls with four boundaries and three sixes in the second qualifying match against Delhi Capitals (DC) and 50 in 32 balls with five fours and three sixes in the final match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In the end, KKR was defeated by CSK by a score of 27 runs.
Iyer has amassed 232 runs at an average of 77.33 and four fifties, with the best score of 55, in five knockout stage games. In the IPL, only CSK player Suresh Raina has hit seven fifty-plus scores.
He has now hit a match-winning 52* in 26 balls in this IPL final.
In the IPL playoffs and knockout stages, this is Iyer's fourth consecutive fifty-plus score, breaking Lendl Simmons of the Mumbai Indians' three previous records.
The official handle of KKR acknowledged Iyer's playoff heroics, sharing, "THE ONLY PLAYER IN #TATA IPL HISTORY TO SCORE 4 CONSECUTIVE 50s IN THE PLAYOFFS - VENKATESH IYER. ACKNOWLEDGE THE CLUTCH CHIEF!."
Iyer amassed 370 runs in 13 innings this IPL season for the KKR, with four half-centuries and a career-high score of 70, at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of over 158.
(With ANI inputs)
