Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer put up an all-round display to help the Indore Pink Panthers secure a thrilling six-run win over the Jabalpur Royal Lions in Match 5 of the ongoing Madhya Pradesh (MP T20 League 2025).
Iyer, who was the most expensive signing for KKR in IPL 2025 at INR 23.75 crores, contributed with the bat and the ball and led from the front.
He first scored 16(15) and then picked up two wickets with the ball, including bowling the final over and successfully defending 20 runs.
After having a subpar IPL 2025, Venkatesh has a clear ‘plan is to win’ in the MP T20 2025, and his performance today serves as a testament to that.
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Speaking about the match, the Panthers batted first and posted 183 for 7 in 20 overs. 21-year-old talent Akshat Raghuwanshi was the star performer with the bat with his blistering knock of 76 off 46. Rahul Chandrol (29), Venkatesh Iyer (16), Akhil Nigote (22) and Ankur Singh Chauhan (17) also played crucial cameos to propel the Panthers to a competitive score.
Coming to the chase, the Jabalpur Lions were off to a fiery start, courtesy of their openers Siddharth Patidar and Dharmesh Patel. The duo scripted a solid 80-run stand to tip the scales in their favour. Patiar scored 40 while Dharmesh managed to complete his fifty before departing on 57. The Jabalpur middle-order, however, made a mess of the chase, losing five wickets for just 23 runs. They went from 94 for 3 to 117 for 7. However, a late fifty from No.7 Rahul Batham kept them in the hunt before Venkatesh Iyer dismissed him in the final over to wrap up the contest comfortably in the end.
With the win, the Indore Pink Panthers start their campaign on a winning note and are currently placed third in the points table.
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