Venkatesh Iyer IPL profile – a 360-word snapshot of Kolkata Knight Riders’ dynamic left-handed match-winner. Across five straight seasons with KKR, Iyer has hammered 1,468 runs from 1,069 balls, translating to a boundary every fourth legal delivery and a strike rate of 137. His 136 fours and 65 sixes light up the power-play and death overs alike, while 12 fifties and one scintillating 104 underline his consistency and ceiling. With 56 knocks under his belt, the Madhya Pradesh star has crossed fifty once every 4.7 innings and converted one of those into a 55-ball hundred, the highest score of his IPL career. Iyer’s value multiplies with his ability to open or float in the order, evidenced by his seamless adaptation to Eden Gardens’ true bounce and the slower tracks of the UAE. While bowling remains a secondary suit, his part-time seam has chipped in with three wickets in nine innings, including a best of 2 for 27, showing he can break partnerships when the captain needs a surprise option. From 2021 through 2025, the all-rounder has remained a KKR constant, a testament to the franchise’s faith in his explosive batting and developing utility. Numbers tell the story: 137 strike rate, 65 maximums, 12 half-centuries and a lone but memorable century – Venkatesh Iyer is KKR’s home-grown power engine and one of IPL 2025’s must-watch entertainers.

Hardik Pandya IPL career story: 11 seasons, 2749 runs at a 146 strike-rate, 148 sixes, 10 half-centuries Hardik Pandya has been one of the Indian Premier League’s most explosive batting all-rounders since his 2015 debut with Mumbai Indians. Across 140 innings he has unleashed 2,749 runs off just 1,871 balls, translating to a fearsome strike-rate of 146—the sort of number that turns middle-overs into match-winning passages. He has cleared the ropes 148 times and found the boundary another 207 times, underlining why captains post straight long-on and deep mid-wicket for him from ball one. His highest score of 91 and ten half-centuries show he can both finish innings and anchor them when required. While Pandya’s primary currency is runs, he has also delivered 78 wickets in 107 bowling innings, including one five-for and five three-wicket bursts. Operating at an economy of 9.18 and a strike-rate of 20.87, he often bowls the difficult overs at the death, trusting his cutters and the slower ball. Having represented Mumbai Indians for eight of his eleven campaigns and captained Gujarat Titans to the 2022 title, Pandya’s dual-skill value has made him a marquee name every mega auction.

Note: This overview is partially generated using AI and is based on statistical data. Please verify with official sources for complete accuracy.