Venkatesh Iyer credits Rahane’s advice for comeback knock vs SRH

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) most expensive buy in IPL 2025, Venkatesh Iyer, finally showed a brilliant show after a series of poor performances. He changed his gear in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where his team won the match by 80 runs.

When KKR found themselves at 106/4 in the 13th over after Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s dismissal, Iyer raised the team’s momentum by scoring a rapid 60 off 29 balls, achieving a strike rate of 206.90. His innings included seven boundaries and three sixes, which, along with Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 32, helped KKR to a total of 200/6.

How Captain helped his Iyer

Iyer believes that KKR’s captain Ajinkya Rahane and Angriksh Raghuvanshi helped Iyer to put on a brilliant performance. “The main communication was by Ajinkya and Angkrish. The messages they sent during the time-out made us understand that it’s not an easy pitch to just go out there and hit. You have to take your time,” he said.

Defining aggression and strategy

Discussing his approach, Iyer emphasised the importance of strategic aggression, saying, “It’s very important for us to show positive but correct intent. If we are 50/6 and I still go and tonk everything, that’s positive, but that’s not correct. Aggression does not mean tonking every ball for sixes.” He showed the need to understand and adapt to conditions to maximise outcomes.

Acknowledging the role of bowling strategy

Even with a competitive score, Iyer acknowledged the threat posed by SRH’s aggressive playing style. He praised Vaibhav Arora for his impactful spell during the powerplay, which shifted the momentum in KKR’s favour. “Even after scoring 220, sometimes we feel that they can chase it,” Iyer remarked. “We have Vaibhav Arora, who bowls in the powerplay to pick wickets, and he did that. A team that hits every ball also has the chance of going down early. And that’s what we wanted to exploit.”

Vaibhav Arora’s performance included the crucial wickets of Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, and Heinrich Klaasen, concluding with figures of 3/29. His efforts contributed to KKR’s strategy and momentum, leading to an 80-run win.

Praise for Shami

Iyer also expressed appreciation for facing star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who recently returned to cricketing action after a long layoff due to injury. “The cricket fan in me is very happy to see Shami Bhai back and running in full flow. It was extremely challenging to play him in the Ranji trophy as well, but here in T20, the bowler also has a mindset that if they err, they can get hit for a boundary,” he concluded.