After Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) dominant 80-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer offered insight into the calculated approach that helped them post 200 for 6 — a total that set the stage for their bowlers to secure victory.
Venkatesh, who smashed a 29-ball 60, stressed that aggression in T20 cricket isn’t about blindly swinging from the first ball. Instead, it’s about understanding the pitch and adapting to the conditions. “The pitch wasn’t easy. The ball was gripping and turning, so it was important to take a few balls to assess before accelerating,” he explained.
The 91-run partnership between Iyer and Rinku Singh in just 41 balls shifted momentum decisively. “We backed ourselves to go big in the final overs once we were set. Having finishers like Russell, Ramandeep, and Moeen waiting gave us that cushion.”
Reflecting on his previous low scores in IPL 2025, Venkatesh admitted to being too hurried at the start of the tournament. He emphasized KKR’s new batting philosophy of playing smart, situational cricket: “We don’t want to be a team that scores 250 when conditions suit us but collapses for 70 when they don’t. Our aim is to consistently score around 20 runs above par.”
Much of KKR’s success was also thanks to Vaibhav Arora, who claimed 3 crucial wickets in the powerplay. “He changed the game for us with the new ball. Against a side like SRH that goes hard from ball one, early wickets can break their rhythm — and that’s exactly what happened,” Iyer added.
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