Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Venkatesh Iyer suffered a major injury scare when the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder reportedly twisted his ankle in their Ranji Trophy 2024-25 clash against Kerala on Thursday. Coming into bat at No 6, Venkatesh Iyer, who was bought for ₹23.75 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction last year, twisted his ankle just two balls into his innings before falling on the ground in pain.
The 30-year-old looked in excruciating pain while the team physio checked on him. However, the southpaw limped off the ground. Initially the injury looked major as Venkatesh Iyer was visibly frustrated with what transpired on the field.
He was also seen on camera treating his ankle in the dressing room. However, to the relief of KKR fans, Venkatesh Iyer returned to bat and scored a patient 42 from 80 to lift Madhya Pradesh to from 95/7 at one stage to 160 all out in the 61st over.
Although the extent of the injury is yet to be known, Venkatesh Iyer will be closely monitored by the KKR management with the IPL 2025 being less than two months away.
Meanwhile, Venkatesh Iyer hasn't been in best of forms in domestic cricket this season. In Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the left-hander mustered just 225 runs in 10 matches while his campaign in Vijay Hazare wasn't worthy discussing.
In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, Venkatesh Iyer has so far scored 322 runs, with highest of 174 against Bihar.
Venkatesh Iyer had a terrific IPL 2024 where he became the enforcer by coming at No 3. In 14 matches, Venkatesh Iyer scored 370 runs including 50s in the qualifier and the final. But to everyone's surprise, the tall all-rounder was released by the franchise before the auction.
A few days later, Venkatesh Iyer was the third-most expensive buy in IPL 2025 mega auction after Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer and fourth-highest in overall tournament’s history.
There are also speculations, that Venkatesh Iyer could be among the candidates for the KKR captaincy for IPL 2025 after title-winning captain Shreyas Iyer went to Punjab Kings.
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