Venkatesh Iyer fails again. KKR Vice Captain called a ‘23.75 crore fraud’ by fans

Venkatesh Iyer was contracted for a whopping INR 23.75 crore by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2025. The franchise showed much trust in the all-rounder and even declared him the captain of the side.

However, that decision was changed right before the start of the season, when Ajinkya Rahane became the captain and Iyer the vice captain. Iyer’s performance so far in the season has been underwhelming.

Gujarat Titans score big

The Gujarat Titans did a good job by setting a huge total against KKR on a slow-ish kind of pitch. Batting wasn’t easy, and there was a lot of support for the spinners. However, GT’s top order played brilliantly. Sai Sudarshan and Shubman Gill both scored half-centuries. Gill went on to score 90 off 55 balls. Jos Buttler scored a brisk 41 off 23 balls to provide a strong finish.

Venkatesh Iyer fails against GT

Iyer failed tremendously in the match against GT. KKR lost both their openers early as Gurbaz was out for 1 and Narine got dismissed at 17. A partnership between the captain Ajinkya Rahane and Iyer ensued. The two stitched a 41-run partnership. However, Iyer never got off the blocks.

The left-hander played with a strike rate of 73.68 in a match with a required run rate of almost 10. His knock of 14 off 19 balls proved to be detrimental for the team as it put extra pressure on Rahane, who was playing well. Rahane was dismissed for 50 off 36 balls, as he looked to up the ante.

Fans troll

Fans have been quick to attack Venkatesh Iyer for his repeated failures. They have started questioning his hefty paycheck of INR 23.75 crore. Some users called the innings ‘test-like’ for the low strike rate. Fans are upset with the underwhelming performance from the vice captain of the team.

Venkates Iyer’s horrid season

Iyer’s season so far has been horrible. The batter has scored just 129 runs in 8 matches, at an average of 25.80. He has not made any meaningful contribution to the team, even after more than half the season has finished. Questions around his position loom large.

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