The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer gave a major scare to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans as he injured his ankle during the Ranji Trophy games against Kerala.
Iyer walked into bat with his team on 49/4 in 17.2 overs and took a huge responsibility on his shoulder to take them to a good total. However, his innings ended rather quickly after facing just three deliveries before he twisted his ankle while batting.
The all-rounder looked in pain and immediately fell on the pitch. He was attended by the team’s physio and was later seen trudging off the field with the physio and retired hurt.
Later in the match, Iyer was seen sitting in the dugout wearing one pad and resting his injured leg on his chair.
Venkatesh Iyer’s injury has worried KKR supporters as he was the side’s big signing for INR 23.75 crore during the IPL 2025 auction.
Ahead of the auction, Iyer was released by the franchise, but the three times champions was determined to buy him and entered a bitting war with LSG and RCB to have him on their roster.
Venkatesh Iyer’s rise in the IPL has been evident as he started his KKR in 2021 on INR 20 lakhs. He was retained for INR 8 crore and now his INR 23.75 crore deal marks a huge pay rise in his IPL career innings.
He made his debut with KKR in 2021 and scoring over 350 runs in 10 games. In 51 matches overall across four seasons, Iyer has amassed 1326 at 137.13 strike rate and three wickets.
in 2023, Iyer become the the second KKR batter in 15 years after Brendon McCullum to crack an IPL hundred. In 2023, he scored 404 runs while scored 370 runs in 2024 season.
Iyer had scored 370 runs from 15 matches at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 158.79 with four fifties. His absence in the upcoming IPL season will be a major concern for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
