Sunil Narine’s all-round performance and Venkatesh Iyer’s half-century propelled Kolkata Knight Riders to a seven-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Tata Indian Premier League match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. RCB batted first, scoring 182 for six. KKR required only 16.5 overs to reach 186 for three in their chase. KKR is the first team to win an away game in the 2024 IPL season. They also increased their lead over RCB at the M Chinnaswamy to 8–4. They presently lead the head-to-head 19-14. Venkatesh appeared at the crease in the seventh over and hit three fours and four sixes on his way to 50 off 30 balls, his sixth IPL fifty. He also surpassed the 1000IPL-run mark during his innings.
He was the primary contributor to his 65-run third-wicket stand with Shreyas Iyer, which helped KKR get within striking distance of victory. Sunil Narine and Phil Salt, Venkatesh’s opening partners, laid the groundwork for his knock.