Venkatesh Iyer signs a deal for County Championship

Indian allrounder Venkatesh Iyer has signed with Lancashire for his debut county cricket stint. He will be part of the ongoing One-Day Cup and play in two rounds of the County Championship.

Iyer, who made a mark with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL, is set to make his debut for Lancashire against Kent on July 28. His signing was recommended by his KKR teammate Phil Salt, after their victorious IPL campaign where Iyer played key roles with half-centuries in crucial matches.

Lancashire’s Director of Cricket, Mark Chilton, expressed excitement about the new addition: “This is a deal we have worked hard to complete. Venkatesh will add experience to a young side during the One-Day Cup, while providing an explosive batting option in the middle-order and another seam bowler that we can turn to with the ball.”

Iyer’s stint in Lancashire will last five weeks, allowing him to return to India in time for the domestic season opener, the Duleep Trophy, starting on September 5. He will also play in Lancashire’s County Championship matches against Surrey and Hampshire in late August.

Speaking about his new challenge, Iyer said, “I am incredibly excited to head over to England and to have the opportunity to play county cricket for the first time in my career. Lancashire is a very historic county with a long history of welcoming Indian players to their Club. To test my skills in both one-day and first-class cricket in English conditions is going to really benefit my game. I hope that I can entertain the fans and help my Lancashire team-mates to achieve their targets in both formats this summer.”

Iyer gained recognition during the IPL 2021 season as a top-order batter for KKR, leading to his debut for the Indian team in both white-ball formats. Along with his batting prowess, he is a valuable seam-up bowler, having recovered from injuries that limited his bowling.

In first-class cricket, Iyer has scored 1132 runs from 32 innings, averaging 37.73, with one century and 15 wickets to his name. In List A cricket, he has 1458 runs in 40 innings at a strike rate of 101.95, including four centuries and five fifties. He also played two ODIs for India in January 2022.

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