Venkatesh Iyer is an allrounder playing for Madhya Pradesh domestic team. He is presently twenty-six years of age. Known for his hard-hitting prowess and partnership-breaking ability, Iyer has been picked by the KKR in the 2021 IPL auction.
Iyer enrolled for a B.Com degree, alongside a chartered accountancy degree. He even topped in the intermediate examinations in 2016, when he had a decision to make. Attempting the CA finals would mean giving up the game, or at least temporarily putting his cricket career on hold. But he followed his heart and pursued his passion. Watching his blitzkrieg against the Royal Challengers Bangalore or the mighty Mumbai Indians, one must wonder how we would have missed this gem had he gone further to pursue CA leaving behind the dreams to become a cricketer.
While he has been around the domestic circuit since 2015, Iyer came into his own in the truncated 2020-21 season, when he had a prolific white-ball season. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he top-scored for his side with 227 runs in five innings at an average of 75.66 and a strike rate of 149.34. Then in the one-day competition, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he made his own mark, hitting a marvelous 146 ball 198 that helped Madhya Pradesh amass 402 for 3.
In his debut match against RCB in the second episode of IPL 2021, Iyer looks to be a promising prospect for the Kolkata Knight Riders. His silky drives against the Royal Challengers Bangalore or the Mumbai Indians bowlers must have given his captain some relief on the ever-lasting issue of finding the perfect opening partner with Shubhman Gill. Wishing the maverick leftie a very bright future ahead.
