Venkatesh Iyer breaks 15-year-old jinx! Becomes Second KKR player to score IPL century after Brendon McCullum
Venkatesh Iyer reached his hundred in just 49 balls and his knock consisted of 5 fours and 9 sixes.
In the ongoing fixture between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium, KKR's top-order batter Venkatesh Iyer played a stellar knock to register his maiden century in the IPL. In the process, he also broke a 15-year-old jinx and became only the second KKR player to hit an IPL ton, after New Zealand's Brendon McCullum achieved the feat back in 2008. The Kiwi had struck a blistering century (158* off 73) against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first-ever IPL match in 2008.
18th April 2008: Brendon McCullum 158* (73)
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 16, 2023
16th April 2023: Venkatesh Iyer 100* (49)
A 15-year wait ends 🥹💜@venkateshiyer | #MIvKKR | #AmiKKR | #TATAIPL 2023
Venkatesh Iyer brushes aside knee bruise to register his maiden IPL century
This is a make-or-break season for Venkatesh after failing last season to make an impact. The southpaw had scored an 84 in the win against Gujarat Titans last week.
Earlier today, Venkatesh came in early on as KKR lost N. Jagadeesan. He showed his intentions right from the go, making a quickfire start to his innings against the Mumbai Indians.
The left-handed batter seemed to a class above everyone else on the day as he was in a destructive mood and raced away to 39 off 16 deliveries by the end of the powerplay.
However, he incurred an injury early on in his innings after being hit just above the right knee that required urgent treatment from physios but Venkatesh decided not to be fazed by it and carry on with his onslaught against the MI bowlers.
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The KKR batter hit his fifty in just 24 balls and decided to carry on from there. He would eventually reach his hundred in just 49 balls and his knock comprised of 5 fours and 9 sixes.