The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team has been heavily criticized for the constant chopping and changing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season. In the match against the Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium, they dropped the opening batter, Venkatesh Iyer.
After an outstanding debut IPL season last year, Venkatesh Iyer seems to be struggling with the second season syndrome. He was retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 8 crore ahead of IPL 2022 auctions. The opener has not been able to contribute to the franchise and averages 16.50 in nine matches.
However, in his defense, the left-hander’s batting position has been changed constantly, asking him to open in one game, and then bat lower down the order. Venkatesh Iyer was dropped along with Harshit Rana from the playing XI.
Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakravarthy, both retained by KKR, are not playing tonight 👀 https://t.co/KAX1j05CpP | #KKRvRR | #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/v7HVfJ2etr
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 2, 2022
The decision to drop Venkatesh Iyer from the playing XI against the Rajasthan Royals has been criticized heavily by the fans on social media. They blasted the KKR management for their constant chopping and changing policy.
Here are some reactions:
https://twitter.com/pratyaksh_a/status/1521129843420663808?s=20&t=NPu6JaqWWvnQMH0Y1LXgaA
At the moment other than Elon musk, Aaron finch is the luckiest man on the planet. With absolutely no performance… is captain of the Australian team and continues a dream run in the IPL ahead of venky Iyer. @bhogleharsha @KP24 #KKRvRR
— Mr. Gada (@kya_tapleek_hai) May 2, 2022
Shocking to see neither of #Cummins, #varunC, #VenkyIyer getting backed by Management esp. a World Class Player like Cummins. #KKR #KKRvsRR #Iyer
— Diksha (@Delphy06) May 2, 2022
KKR has the worst management in IPL currently. Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik, Rahul Tripathi, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav all are performing well for their new teams. Venky Iyer also will perform for any other team next year. https://t.co/gHbHQJMHF3
— Hriday Shetty (@HridayShetty18) May 2, 2022
https://twitter.com/frozenat70/status/1521120717219110912?s=20&t=kVBwRIeWbp-czYhZK5Glvw
The whole management should be sacked The way they wasted Kuldeep Yadav by not trusting him Same i feel they are doing with Venky Iyer he looks so dull this is not done they are not handling players properly KD goes for runs bt is taking wickets
— Kriti N🇮🇳 (@Kriti96437759) May 2, 2022
Venkatesh Iyer and varun chakravarthy both are retained for a reason by kkr before mega auction.
And both of them are dropped
Seriously kkr is going no where in this season #KKRvsRR #IPL2022— Yashwanth (@bittuyash18) May 2, 2022
KKR management has been terrible tbh, batting looks so weak barring Iyer & Russell
— Ajay Sharma (@ToughhNuttt) May 2, 2022
“It’s important to have the right combination” – KKR captain Shreyas Iyer
Earlier in the match, the Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and opted to bowl first. The franchise made two changes bringing in Shivam Mavi and Anukul Roy, in place of Venkatesh Iyer and Varun Chakravarthy. Speaking about the changes, skipper Shreyas Iyer stressed the importance of finding the right combination in the tournament. He said:
“It’s important to have the right combination. We are trying to give as many matches as possible to the players, but it’s also important to get the right combinations.”
Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals have made a slow start to their innings, after losing both their openers. They have put on 49 runs in8 overs, with Sanju Samson and Karun at the crease. Opener Devdutt Padikkal was dismissed for two runs by Umesh Yadav, while Southee dismissed Buttler for 22 runs.
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