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KKR's Most Expensive IPL Star Venkatesh Iyer Unleashes Bowling Magic In SMAT 2024

Rajgeeta Yadav

Venkatesh Iyer bowled an excellent spell against Saurashtra [Source: @BCCIdomestic/X.com]Venkatesh Iyer bowled an excellent spell against Saurashtra [Source: @BCCIdomestic/X.com]

The third quarter-final of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 between Madhya Pradesh and Saurashtra on December 11 at the Alur KSCA Cricket Ground saw all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer stepping up with the ball. Known more for his batting in recent years, Iyer reminded everyone of his bowling skills as a handy right-arm medium pacer.

After winning the toss, Madhya Pradesh decided to bowl. However, the start didn’t go as planned. Saurashtra’s opener T. Gohel was dismissed early in the very first over by Tripuresh Singh, setting an intense tone for the match. The game quickly heated up, and Iyer joined the action in the 15th over, removing Sammar Gajjar with a perfectly angled full delivery that uprooted the leg stump as Gajjar missed an attempted slog towards mid-wicket.


Iyer struck again in his next over, dismissing Ruchit Ahir with a short ball outside off stump. Ahir tried to pull it but ended up skying it to Subhranshu Senapati at deep midwicket. With figures of 3-0-23-2, Iyer’s excellent spell played a crucial role in restricting Saurashtra to 173 for 7.

Venkatesh Iyer To Provide More Flexibility In KKR

It is important to note that Venkatesh Iyer was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for an astounding ₹23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He is also being considered as a strong contender to take over the KKR captaincy after Shreyas Iyer.

His sensational bowling spell in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) adds another layer to his reputation as a valuable all-rounder. Performances like this showcase his ability to contribute with both bat and ball, giving his team greater flexibility in the batting line-up.