IPL 2021: Venkatesh Iyer slams maiden IPL fifty in second game, KKR captain Eoin Morgan lauds him

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Abu Dhabi, Sep 23: After hogging the limelight with his performance in his debut game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, young Kolkata Knight Riders' opener Venkatesh Iyer once again stole the show in his second IPL game.

Opening the innings against Mumbai Indians in match number 34 of the IPL 2021, Iyer notched up his maiden IPL fifty on Thursday (September 23) at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The left-handed batsman from Madhya Pradesh scored 24-ball 41 on his IPL debut and notched up his maiden half-century off just 25 deliveries in his second match of the cash-rich league.

The talented batsman seemed to have started from where he left off in the last game as he went off the mark in the game by hitting New Zealand pacer Trent Boult on the very first ball he faced.

The 26-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, who played a fearless knock with KKR's victory over Mumbai Indians as he attacked the likes of Boult, Adam Milne and Jasprit Bumrah at will.

Iyer hit 53 off 30 deliveries and made the outing a memorable one before getting clean bowled by Bumrah. The left-handed batsman smashed four boundaries and three sixes in his knock and scored at a strike rate of 176.67.

Iyer - who was bought by the franchise at the IPL 2021 auction at the base price of Rs 20 lakh - grabbed a lot of attention with his exploits in the previous KKR encounter and impressed all with his aggressive brand of cricket. The tall batsman after his explosive effort against RCB credited KKR coach Brendon McCullum for allowing him to play fearlessly.

"It is always good to see McCullum, and I am really excited to bat as he's gonna watch. There is no such pressure when he is right behind the nets," Iyer was quoted as saying in a video posted by KKR after the team's win over RCB.

KKR captain Morgan while reacting over Iyer's performance in back-to-back games said, "Fitting Venkatesh Iyer into our XI has been difficult with a lot of talented guys, and it's fantastic the way he's scored his runs. In the practice games too he has gone on to play this way."