Price tag pressure? Poor season continues for KKR’s Venkatesh Iyer

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NEW DELHI: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Venkatesh Iyer’s poor run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) continued with another single-digit score against Delhi Capitals (DC) at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

Iyer’s poor string of scores continued as he could make just seven runs in five balls, with a four to his name, before he was dismissed by skipper Axar Patel with a catch from Vipraj Nigam that went too high in the air but could not get the right amount of elevation.

In 10 matches and seven innings this season, Iyer has made just 142 runs at an average of 20.28 and a strike rate of 139.21, with a half-century and best score of 60.

Iyer’s failure to deliver in the competition so far is significant as ahead of the 2025 season, KKR released him and brought him back at a massive prize of Rs 23.75 crores.

This came after a reliable season last year, where he played a crucial role in KKR’s first title win in 10 years and their overall third, with 370 runs in 15 matches and 13 innings at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of over 158, with four half-centuries. This included the fifties in the Qualifier one and the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Since his IPL debut with KKR in 2021, Iyer has scored 1,468 runs at an average of 29.95 and a strike rate of over 137 in 56 innings, with the best score of 104.

His most prolific season was the 2023 season, with 404 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28.85, with a strike rate of over 145, including a century and two half-centuries.

Coming to the match, DC won the toss and opted to field first. Quick knocks from top four of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (26 in 12 balls, with five fours and a six), Sunil Narine (27 in 16 balls, with two fours and two sixes), skipper Ajinkya Rahane (26 in 14 balls, with four boundaries and a six), and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44 in 32 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and Angkrish’s 61-run stand with Rinku Singh (36 in 25 balls, with three fours and a six) powered KKR to 204/9 in 20 overs.

Mitchell Starc (3/43), Vipraj Nigam (2/41) and skipper Axar Patel (2/27) were among the top bowlers for DC. DC needs 205 runs to get their seventh win of the season. (ANI)