Venkatesh Iyer once again starred with the bat and powered the Kolkata Knight Riders to their fourth IPL final, as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets. Venkatesh scored an incredible fifty-one runs off of just 28 balls, and the team chased down the moderate 160-run target with 38 balls remaining, firmly establishing their dominance over the 2016 champions.
Despite losing their openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (23) and Sunil Narine (21) early, KKR were always in control of the game as the left-handed batter showed his six-hitting skills by smashing the SRH bowlers for four maximums.
Earlier, Mitchell Starc dismantled SRH’s dangerous batting line-up with three wickets in the powerplay. SRH were all out for 159 in 19.3 overs. With half-centuries from the Iyers, the chase proved to be a walk in the park for KKR.
Venkatesh showed his “mamba side” in a lighthearted manner after the match. Harsha Bhogle was taken aback by the elegant batter’s antics as the camera began to roll when he was standing and striking a side pose.
But he smiled and said he was apologetic to the senior broadcaster.
After KKR’s past two league stage matches were washed out, the Madhya Pradesh batter claimed that he was a little impatient to go out.
“We hadn’t played a lot since last two weeks, so I was eager and excited to show my skills. The wicket was excellent, and our bowlers deserve praise for dismissing SRH for 159. In this competition, momentum is really vital. We saw RCB winning their matches consistently and gaining the momentum.” said Iyer.
He praised Shah Rukh Khan and Jay Mehta, the team’s owners, and the management for consistently inspiring the players’ morale.
“We were the table toppers and the management has given us a lot of support. Kudos to the owners. Jay Sir and SRK were also present to support us tonight,” Venkatesh added.