"Playing as a night watchman" - Fans brutally slam Venkatesh Iyer for lacklustre 19-ball 14 in KKR vs GT IPL 2025 clash

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Venkatesh Iyer continued his struggles in IPL 2025 with a 19-ball 14 in the clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Eden Gardens on April 21. With KKR chasing a massive 199 for victory, Iyer stalled the momentum of the innings with his painful stay at the crease.

The 30-year-old went boundaryless in his 19 deliveries as KKR saw their required run rate skyrocket to almost 14 per over in the middle phase. Venkatesh Iyer was one of the most expensive signings at the 2025 auction for a whopping ₹23 crores.

However, he has struggled massively thus far this season, with only 135 runs at an average of 22.50.

Fans on X slammed Venkatesh Iyer for his sub-par showing, saying:

"Venkatesh Iyer playing as a night watchman".

Fans continued roasting Venkatesh Iyer for his dismal batting performance, saying:

"Venkatesh Iyer. A good e.g. of a franchise overvaluing one dimensional players. When they underperform, the team ends up lacking options as they are almost forced to play them (not that I concur with playing them because they have paid a lot for someone)."

"Every IPL team should thank RCB for their ingenuity or rather stupidity for pump faking KKR into spending 24crs on Venkatesh Iyer," tweeted a fan.

"Please remove venkatesh iyer from the team and give chance to Manish pandey," a fan said.

KKR collapse to heavy defeat after Venkatesh Iyer's departure

Things fell away completely for KKR after Venkatesh Iyer's departure in the run chase against GT. The chase got off to a poor start when Rahmanullah Gurbaz got dismissed for one in the first over.

Sunil Narine and Ajinkya Rahane provided KKR with a relatively impressive platform, adding 41 for the second wicket in 28 deliveries. However, the former's dismissal brought Iyer to the crease, and his disappointing innings almost sealed KKR's fate.

The rest of the batting lineup made no substantial contributions as KKR finished on 159 for 8 in 20 overs, losing by 39 runs.

The defending champions also endured a poor outing with the ball as the GT openers, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, added 114 for the first wicket on a tacky pitch. Jos Buttler's 23-ball 41* provided the ideal finish for GT as they posted a formidable 198/3 in 20 overs.

The defeat leaves KKR in a precarious position in seventh place on the points table with only three wins in eight matches.

They are in virtual must-win territory for the rest of the season, starting with the encounter against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Eden Gardens on April 26.