Venky Mysore will be a happy man today. No one is going to question the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO for spending a whopping Rs 23.75 crore on Venkatesh Iyer at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. The reason is Venkatesh’s incredible performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2024-25 quarterfinal against Saurashtra.
SMAT semifinal calling for Venkatesh Iyer
Representing Madhya Pradesh, Venkatesh started with two wickets at the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur. He was handed the ball by captain Rajat Patidar in the 7th over, and he gave away 9 runs. Recalled later, he got the wickets of Sammar Gajjar and Ruchit Ahir in the 15th and 17th overs. If not for Chirag Jani’s incredible 80(45), MP might have restricted Saurashtra under 150.
Chasing 174 didn’t prove to be tough for MP. Arpit Gaud and Subhranshu Senapati gave them a good start with their small cameos of 42(29) and 24(16) before Venkatesh and Patidar took over. The MP captain eventually got out, with less than 30 runs left to chase. Harpreet Singh came out then and smoked 22(9) as Venkatesh bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
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Madhya Pradesh eye first SMAT Final since 2010
MP also has a chance now to reach their first Final since the 2010-11 SMAT season. However, for that to happen, they’ll first have to beat either Delhi or Uttar Pradesh in the second semifinal. With Venkatesh, Patidar, Avesh Khan, and Kumar Kartikeya in their team, they have a solid chance of reaching their second Final and winning their first-ever SMAT title.
SAU vs MP: Brief Scores
Saurashtra: 173/7 (Chirag Jani 80*; Venkatesh Iyer 23/2)
Madhya Pradesh: 174/4 (Arpit Gaud 42, Venkatesh Iyer 38*; Prerak Mankad 20/1, Chirag Jani 27/1)
