IPL 2023 is a comeback tournament for me, says KKR centurion Venkatesh Iyer

Kolkata Knight Riders batter Venkatesh Iyer feels the ongoing IPL 2023 is a comeback tournament for him. Iyer smashed the second hundred of the ongoing tournament when he scored 104 off just 51 balls against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.

The southpaw scored six fours and nine sixes in his fine knock for the two-time champions. Iyer was able to hit the ground running and he timed the ball to perfection to score his runs all around the ground.

In fact, this was the second century for the KKR batter after Brendon McCullum had scored a blistering knock of 158 in the opening match of the IPL.

Iyer has scored 234 runs in five matches at an average of 46.80 and he is currently the leading run-getter of the tournament.

“IPL is a comeback tournament. I broke my left ankle six months back – the subtalar joint had come out – and it was a freakish accident. But I am fortunate to be under a system where the BCCI takes care of me,” Venkatesh Iyer told the media after the match.

Iyer gave his gratitude to the BCCI for their support when he was recovering from an injury at the NCA.

“Everything was taken care of and I was at the NCA for four to five months. All the doctors and trainers were very cooperative and they helped me come out of this space,” Iyer said.

The left-hander gave credit to Abhishek Nayar for helping him in the KKR setup.

“One name worth mentioning here is Abhishek Nayar. He has worked with my batting day in and day out and not just batting, also my approach towards the game. I credit this century to him,” Iyer said after the match.

However, Iyer’s knock went in vain as KKR lost by five wickets against Mumbai Indians after Ishan Kishan scored 58 runs for the five-time champions.

Earlier, Iyer had also scored a crucial knock of 83 runs against defending champions Gujarat Titans and he would want to carry the good show.