Venkatesh Iyer, an all-rounder for India, has joined Lancashire for the two County Championship rounds and the current One-Day Cup. On July 28, he is anticipated to make his debut against Kent.
Phil Salt, Iyer’s colleague with the Kolkata Knight Riders during their successful IPL campaign this year, recommended him to the club after he scored half-centuries against Sunrisers Hyderabad in both the qualifying round and the championship match. Iyer’s assignment will last for five weeks, and he is expected to return before the Duleep Trophy, India’s domestic season opener, begins on September 5.
Mark Chilton, the director of cricket for Lancashire, stated, “We have worked hard to complete this deal.” In addition to giving us another seam bowler we can rely on with the ball and an explosive middle-order batting option, Venkatesh will provide experience to a youthful team during the One-Day Cup.
“He will also be available for our County Championship matches against Surrey and Hampshire towards the end of August and gives us another high-quality overseas option to select from.”
During IPL 2021, Iyer established himself as a top-order batsman as KKR had an exciting run to the championship game. Iyer made his debut in the tournament’s second half during the pandemic break, and in the months that followed, he earned his India cap in both white-ball categories.
Iyer, who has fully recovered from a string of ailments that had limited his involvement to just as a hitter until mid-last year, is not just an aggressive bat but also a useful seam-up option.
“I am incredibly excited to head over to England and to have the opportunity to play county cricket for the first time in my career,” Iyer said in a press release. “Indian players have long been welcomed by Lancashire, a very historic county, to their club.”
“Putting my one-day and first-class cricketing talents to the test in English conditions will be extremely beneficial to my game. This summer, I intend to delight the crowd and support my Lancashire teammates in reaching their goals in both forms.”
Iyer bats left-hand and has amassed 1132 runs at an average of 37.73 from 32 first-class innings, including one century. Additionally, he has claimed 15 wickets with his medium-pace right arm.
Iyer has a strike rate of 101.95 and has amassed 1458 runs in 40 innings of List A cricket. In the 50-over format, he has amassed four hundreds and five fifties. In January 2022, he participated in two One-Day Internationals for India.
Read More: “Not The Last Time”: Ex India Star’s Blunt Take On Sanju Samson’s ODI Snub
