IPL 2025: 'Utter Garbage, Fraud' - Fans grill Venkatesh Iyer as KKR batter scores 14 off 19 balls

Venkatesh Iyer had another underwhelming performance in the IPL 2025 match of Kolkata Knight Riders against Gujarat Titans.

Chasing a daunting target of 199, KKR's batting unit are falling short, and Iyer's contribution with the bat did little to arrest the slide.

Iyer, under pressure to justify his staggering ₹23.75 crore price tag, could only manage 14 runs from 19 balls. His struggle to rotate the strike and find boundaries was evident throughout the innings. Facing a disciplined Titans bowling attack, he particularly found it difficult to cope with the guile of Rashid Khan, appearing out of rhythm and bereft of fluency.

The Gujarat Titans, batting first, posted a commanding 198/3, led by an authoritative knock from Shubman Gill. In reply, KKR failed to build any sustained momentum, losing wickets at regular intervals and crumbling under scoreboard pressure. Iyer, who was expected to hold the middle order together, was dismissed at a crucial juncture, further derailing KKR's chase.

Venkatesh Iyer and his Woeful Batting

Venkatesh came into bat after Sunil Narine's dismissal and never got going. The KKR batter failed to hit a single boundary and limped through his knock. He failed to time the ball, couldn't manage to pick the fielders ever, and ended up scoring just 14 runs, while eating up 19 deliveries.

The fans have been livid with the KKR batter for so long this season, and they vented their anger yet again.

"The moment Venkatesh Iyer walked in, the boundaries dried up. Before that, Rahane and Narine were finding the fence with ease. Time to move on from the ₹23.75 Cr fraud before he drags KKR down any further," a fan wrote.

Another fan took a sarcastic dig at the KKR player, saying he is still in the previous match against Punjab Kings, where KKR failed to chase 112 runs and got bundled out for 95 runs.

The southpaw had a decent outing last season and on the basis, KKR decided to spend Rs 23.75 crore on him in the IPL 2025 mega auction.

The IPL 2025 has seen a number of Retire Outs, and a fan demanded the same for Venkatesh. Luckily for the player, he got out and saved the humiliation.