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Venkatesh Iyer's heroics helped Kolkata Knight Riders reach the IPL 2024 final after they hammered Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets.
Iyer played a scintillating knock of unbeaten 51 runs off 28 balls as KKR chased down the moderate 160-run target with 38 balls to spare, completely stamping their authority over the 2016 champions.
The left-handed batter smashed the SRH bowlers for fun and displayed his six-hitting prowess by hitting 4 maximums as KKR were always at the top of the game despite losing their openers Sunil Narine (21) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (23) early.
Earlier, Mitchell Starc produced a stunning opening burst of three wickets in the powerplay to break the back of SRH’s dangerous batting.
They were eventually shot out for a mere 159 in 19.3 overs as the chase turned out to be a cakewalk for KKR with half-centuries from the Iyer duo.
After the match, Venkatesh was in a fun mood as he displayed his 'mamba side' before the interview with broadcasters.
The stylish batter was standing, giving a side pose, and the camera started rolling as broadcaster Harsha Bhogle was stunned by his antics.
However, he immediately apologized to the senior broadcaster with a smile on his face.
The Madhya Pradesh batter asserted that he was a bit desperate to go out a showcase his talent in the middle as he missed being out in the middle after KKR's last two league stage matches were washed out.
Venkatesh, who is now a senior member in the KKR camp, said that the team was disappointed that the last two matches were abandoned as the momentum as the brake might have shifted the momentum from their way.
Meanwhile, he credited the team management and owners Shah Rukh Khan and Jay Mehta for always motivating the players and keeping their spirits high.