Indian cricketer Venkatesh Iyer has signed a deal with Lancashire for five weeks and is set to make his debut in County Cricket.
Iyer’s performance in IPL 2024 for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bagged him the opportunity to feature in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup and the following two rounds of Vitality County Championship matches in late August.
Venkatesh Iyer played a crucial role in Kolkata Knight Riders winning their third IPL title. The left-hander made his debut for India in November 2021 and played two ODIs and nine T20Is so far.
Venkatesh maintains an impressive number in his List A cricket where he averages over 44 at a strike rate over 100.
“I am incredibly excited to head over to England and to have the opportunity to play county cricket for the first time in my career. Lancashire is a very historic county with a long history of welcoming Indian players to their club.
I am looking forward to emulating the likes of Farokh Engineer, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and most recently, Washington Sundar in wearing the Red Rose colours at Emirates Old Trafford”, Iyer said in a statement.
Iyer believes that his stint with Lancashire will improve his skills in both one-day and first-class cricket in English conditions.
“To test my skills in both one-day and first-class cricket in English conditions is going to really benefit my game. I hope that I can entertain the fans and help my Lancashire teammates to achieve their targets in both formats this summer”, he added.
Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s Director of Cricket Performance, confirmed that Venkatesh’s two games in the Championship will be against Surrey and Hampshire.
“Venkatesh brings a wealth of experience to a young team during the One-Day Cup. His explosive middle-order batting and additional seam bowling options will be crucial for us in the upcoming matches against Surrey and Hampshire”, Chilton said.
Swagat Hai, @venkateshiyer. ✍🇮🇳
🌹 #RedRoseTogether pic.twitter.com/TNPE3JLcAJ
— Lancashire Cricket (@lancscricket) July 26, 2024
