KKR Trolled for Choosing Venkatesh Iyer Over Shubman Gill- Following their most recent defeat by Gujarat Titans, the reigning champion Kolkata Knight Riders have now dropped five of their eight IPL 2025 games. The intent was obviously lacking from most of their hitters as they chased 199. First, the openers for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) put on yet another terrible performance, continuing their dismal streak. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the opener who replaced Quinton de Kock in the 199-run chase against GT, managed just one run before being thrashed by Mohammed Siraj. However, Rahul Tewatia caught Sunil Narine for just 17 in 13 balls, with two fours and a six, on a delivery from Rashid Khan.
Ajinkya Rahane then scored 50 off 36 balls after displaying some bravery to battle. However, the 19-ball 14 from Venkatesh Iyer was a huge let down. So far this season, the Rs 23.75 crore purchase has only resulted in two noteworthy innings (45 against the Lucknow Super Giants and 60 against SunRisers Hyderabad). Much was anticipated of Iyer on Monday after former KCR star Shubman Gill scored 90, but he fell short.
The opening duo for KKR has scored the fewest runs of any club this season—152 at an average of 19.00—in eight innings. Additionally, they have the second-lowest run rate of any team, behind the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), at 8.44. Their greatest performance to far has been a partnership of 46 runs.
KKR has used four openers: Gurbaz (one run in one match), Moeen (five runs in one innings), Narine (147 in seven innings at an average of 21.00 and strike rate of 177.10), and de Kock (143 runs in seven innings at an average of 23.83, strike rate of over 137.50, and a fifty). All of them have mostly failed. The team’s inability to identify a steady and dependable opening combination to serve as a strong base for the remainder of the batting lineup has been a big source of worry.
The opening pair has so far managed to form partnerships of four against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, forty-one against Rajasthan Royals, one against Mumbai Indians, fourteen against Sunrisers Hyderabad, thirty-seven against Lucknow Super Giants, forty-six against Chennai Super Kings, seven against Punjab Kings, and two against Gujarat Titans. The middle order has been under tremendous pressure to save them because of these poor relationships, but this hasn’t always been feasible. The KKR middle order is under too much strain as a result of the top order’s inability to develop any significant partnerships, which has caused inconsistent play overall.
Prior to the game, KKR chose to bowl first after winning the toss. A strong basis for a significant score was provided by the 114-run partnership between Sudharsan (52 in 36 balls, with six fours and a six) and Gill, who later scored 90 in 55 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes. One of the highlights of the innings was their partnership, which allowed them to successfully counter KKR’s bowlers and maintain the scoreboard. Then, in their 20 overs, GT reached 198/3 thanks to a 58-run partnership between Gill and Jos Buttler (41* in 23 balls, with eight fours).
Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, and Vaibhav Arora each claimed a wicket for KKR. It was difficult for KKR to exert pressure on Gujarat despite a respectable bowling effort from these three since the rest of the bowling attack could not assist them. KKR’s hopes of chasing down the goal were swiftly ruined as key players failed to produce with the bat and wickets fell in clumps.
In the end, GT won by 39 runs, which only made KKR’s problems worse since they still have trouble with their opening duo, batting consistency, and ability to chase down big goals. Fans expressed their dissatisfaction and anger on social media following the loss, particularly with reference to the choice to keep Venkatesh Iyer over Shubman Gill in the 2021 IPL auction.
Gill, who has been playing brilliantly for the Gujarat Titans, showed off his talent once more, making many wonder if KKR erred in cutting the young player. The management of KKR is under increasing pressure as the season goes on to resolve their initial problems and guarantee the team’s comeback in the competition.
