IPL 2021: KKR's Venkatesh Iyer impresses on debut against RCB; Know all about him

The Kolkata Knights Riders (KKR) on Monday crushed the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in match 31 of the IPL 2021 Phase 2 by nine wickets on Monday. The KKR vs RCB match witnessed three debutants, however, it was Kolkata's Venkatesh Iyer who impressed everyone with his timing and power-hitting. Chasing a low total of 93 runs, KKR's Venkatesh Iyer remained not out till the end and scored 41 runs off 27 balls with the help of 7 boundaries and 1 six. Now, fans are wondering who is Venkatesh Iyer, the stylish left-handed batsman who remained not out till the end. 

Who is Venkatesh Iyer?

Indore-born Venkatesh Iyer plays for Madhya Pradesh in the domestic circuit. The 26-year-old cricketer was bought by the KKR during the IPL 2021 mini auctions. Iyer got his debut cap after he delivered a stellar performance of 198 runs in 146 balls for Madhya Pradesh in their Vijay Harare Trophy Group B match against Punjab. 

Apart from being a brilliant batsman, Iyer was good in academics too. As per ESPNcricinfo report, Venkatesh Iyer enrolled for a B.Com degree, alongside a chartered accountancy degree. He even topped in the intermediate examinations in 2016. However, Iyer decided to give priority to his cricketing career when the chance of attempting CA finals came. 

"I decided to give up my CA and pursue an MBA in finance. I gave a lot of entrance exams, had decent scores, and enrolled into a good college. I was fortunate the faculty liked cricket, and they saw I was doing well, and gave me the cushion by taking care of my attendance, preparing notes and rescheduling exams," said Iyer. 

In 2018, Iyer also got a well-paid job in an accounting firm Deloitte in Bangaluru. However, Iyer did not take the offer and in December that year, he made his Ranji Trophy debut for Madhya Pradesh. 

Irfan Pathan lauds Venkatesh Iyer's cover-drive

Team India's former speedster Irfan Pathan on Monday took to his Twitter handle and lauded KKR debutant, Venkatesh Iyer, for his amazing batting display. During the start of the second innings, Iyer smacked Mohammed Siraj for back-to-back boundaries including an amazing cover drive. Impressed with the shot, Irfan Pathan tweeted- 

(Image: IPL/BCCI/Twitter)