Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were at their best during the match against Mumbai Indians (MI) as the two-time winners registered a 7-wicket win in Match 35 of IPL 2021 over defending champions MI, a side which has always dominated over them in IPL history.
After bowlers restricted the five-time champions for 155/6 in their quota of 20 overs, the KKR batters ensured that their side gets over the line comfortably with plenty of balls to spare.
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The opening batter Venkatesh Iyer who looked good against Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) continued to impress everyone with his amazing knock of 53 (30). The former India cricketer Parthiv Patel while praising the youngster compared him with former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh.
“We do talk about a lot of boundaries. But the maturity that Venkatesh Iyer showed was superb. We are talking about someone who is not an India A player, someone who has not played international cricket,” Patel told Star Sports.
“He showed so much maturity and courage to go out there and back himself. That’s something we always look out for in young players in the IPL. He went out and played fearless cricket.
One of the great things about him, having seen him, he can not only open, he can bat from 1 to 9 and bowl as well. So he will have a great future. I think there is a lot of Yuvraj Singh in him. There is a lot of flow,” he added.
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The former England spinner Graeme Swann joined the wicketkeeper-batter in praising the KKR batter and opined that he believed Iyer was the worthy candidate for Player of the Match award.
“He has got swag. He is very cool, calm and collectd. He doesn’t show a lot of emotions. First ball against Boult and Milne was hit for six. When the spinner come on, the helmet comes off. He is flicking that hair back. The boy has got swag and talent. I love the way he goes about his cricket. He is my Man of the Match,” the Englishman said.
After winning comfortably over RCB and MI, the Kolkata-based franchise have taken the fourth spot on the points table. Eoin Morgan and Co. will next lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday (September 26) at the same venue in Abu Dhabi.
(With Star Sports Inputs)
