Released by KKR, Shreyas, Venkatesh Iyer smash tons in Ranji Trophy

It’s been a tough few days for Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer, both of whom were not retained by their Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), ahead of the mega auction later this month. KKR retained as many as six players, but both Shreyas and Venkatesh could not find a place in the list. The former was let go even though he captained the franchise to its first IPL title in a decade.

But the pair have not let the news affect their batting. On the first day of the ongoing Ranji Trophy round, both batters smashed centuries to let their bats do the talking.

Shreyas, batting at No.5 for Mumbai against Odisha, hammered an unbeaten 152 off 164 balls. The 29-year-old made it back-to-back tons in the 2024 Ranji Trophy; he entered the Odisha clash on the back of a 142 against Maharashtra, which was his first-class ton since 2021. He’s now scored two in as many games after going nearly three years without a red-ball ton.

Venkatesh, meanwhile, blazed an unbeaten 118 off 113 balls against Bihar at the Moin-ul-Haq stadium in Patna. This is Venkatesh’s second ton in first-class cricket. His first century came in January this year when he posted 135 off 124 balls against Puducherry. 

Recently, the 29-year-old opened up about his release from KKR. The left-hander said that he was left ‘teary-eyed’ after he learnt that the franchise did not retain him.

"This [KKR] is a family. There’s so much emotion. It kind of makes me teary-eyed that my name is not on the retention list, but I am a practical guy. I understand how it works. I was on the receiving end of being one of the retentions in 2022, and I knew how it feels to be retained and to be left out as well,” Venkatesh Iyer told Revsportz. 

“So, I think KKR have had a great retention, really happy for that. I would love to be there, and the doors are open. If I have a good auction, then I might still end up playing for the team I love the most.”

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