Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer gave a major scare to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans as he twisted his ankle during the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 clash against Kerala on Thursday, January 23 at St Xavier’s College Ground, Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram. Iyer walked in to bat with his team on 49/4 in 17.2 overs and had the huge responsibility on his shoulders to take them to a good total.
However, his innings ended rather quickly after facing just three deliveries as he twisted his ankle while batting. The all-rounder looked in excruciating pain and immediately fell down on the pitch as he was attended by the team’s physio. He was later seen trudging off the field with the physio and retired hurt.
Later in the match, Iyer was seen sitting in the dugout wearing one pad and resting his injured leg on a chair. Iyer’s injury has left KKR fans worried as he was bought for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore by the franchise during the mega auction for the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025).
Iyer’s brilliant 2024 season for KKR
Ahead of the auction, the all-rounder was released by the franchise as he failed to find his name in the six retentions. But, KKR were determined to have him in his team and got into an intense bidding war with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to have him on their roster.
Iyer had a good season in 2024 and made valuable contributions with the bat for his team, scoring 370 runs from 15 matches (13 innings) at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 158.79 with four fifties. Hence, his absence could hurt the defending champions massively in the upcoming season. However, much to the delight of KKR fans, Iyer was even seen wearing both of his pads giving hopes of his return to the pitch.