Star Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer celebrated his half-century in style against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 10th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 by blowing a flying kiss to his fiancée at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, March 29.
Venkatesh Iyer failed to deliver with the bat in Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as he was dismissed after scoring just 7 runs. However, he bounced back strongly in the second match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and scored a winning half-century.
He smashed 50 runs in the match off 30 balls, before being dismissed by left-arm pacer Yash Dayal in the 16th over of the match. His innings consisted of 3 fours and 4 sixes.
Notably, Iyer had completed his half-century in the previous over and was unable to convert it into a big score. On the fifth ball of the 15th over, Venkatesh Iyer smashed a Mohammed Siraj delivery to long-on for a single to complete his fifty.
His celebration caught the attention of many when he took off his helmet and blew a kiss towards the KKR bench. Later, at the post-match presentation ceremony, Venkatesh Iyer revealed that his fiancee was present at the stadium and that was a clear indication that his celebration was dedicated to his partner. “My fiancee is also here and I would like to give her credit,” he said.
Watch: Venkatesh Iyer’s Flying Kiss Celebration
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– Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (@Hanji_CricDekho) March 29, 2024
Venkatesh Iyer got engaged in November 2023 to Shruti Raghunathan and shared lovely photos with her on his official Instagram account.
He’s a little upset, I have to go scan him – Venkatesh Iyer
Speaking after the match, Venkatesh Iyer said that he will soon undergo scans to worsen the back problem he was facing while batting against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Venkatesh Iyer said:
“[on his back] It’s a little high, I have to go scan it. To be honest, things got better as the game progressed, at one end in particular, the Pavilion end and credit to Narine, the pressure was off and we had to go finish the formalities. It was very important to take advantage of the platform placed, the left-arm spinner was bowling and it was my duty to go after the bowling.”
He also praised RCB pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak, who bowled sensationally and gave away just 23 runs in his quota of 4 overs while picking up one wicket. He said:
“Vyshak played very well and used the changes very well. Facing him was a little difficult, the pace on that field as a whole was difficult. even when we made fast deliveries, It was hard”.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders won the match by 7 wickets and ended the home teams’ winning streak in the Indian Premier League 2024 by beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their own backyard.