Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dominated the match against Mumbai Indians (MI) and won by seven wickets and 29 balls to spare. Chasing 156 to win, KKR got off to a flyer and were scored 63 runs in the powerplay.
Venkatesh Iyer continued from where he left against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as he smashed the trio of Trent Boult, Adam Milne and Jasprit Bumrah to all parts of the ground. The opener reached his half-century off only 25 balls and was dismissed on 53. He added 88 runs for the second wicket with Rahul Tripathi (74* of 42 balls).
The fearless knock from the opener gained praise from former cricketers Irfan Pathan and Matthew Hayden. Pathan said that Iyer did not sit back after his knock against RCB and continued to play with the same attacking mindset.
"First match, he showed a lot of character. He showed some of the shots as well, cover drive and all. But there is always this question in your mind as a young player, what is going to happen in the next match. Who is going to turn up? Is it the same guy who is going to turn up?," Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports after the match.
He was also impressed by Iyer’s ability to attack top pacers like Boult and Bumrah.
"He did, he actually turned up better, especially against Bumrah, against Boult. Against the Mumbai Indians bowling line-up, he showed a lot of character. There is a lot more we are going to see of Venkatesh Iyer in the future," he explained.
Hayden was also all praise of the young batsman.
"He got permission from his mother to play cricket. Wonderful stuff because let’s face it fellas, we are all mummy's boys at some point," Hayden said.
KKR’s next assignment is against the Chennai Super Kings on September 26.
