IPL 2021: [Watch] Venkatesh Iyer's one-handed stunner on the boundary results in a six
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer nearly pulled off a one-handed juggling catch for the ages on the boundary line during their IPL 2021 match against Punjab Kings. But 'nearly' was the keyword, as he ended up fumbling it eventually, leading to a six for Shahrukh Khan.
The Punjab Kings batsman hooked Shivam Mavi behind square and the ball looked to be on the way for a maximum when the lanky Venkatesh Iyer stuck an arm out and grabbed it.
However, Iyer's momentum was carrying him over the ropes and he tried to throw the ball up in the air with the hope of coming back inside the ropes. He ultimately could not execute the catch properly and eventually caught it with half his body outside the boundary line.
Watch his stunning effort here:
Venkatesh Iyer half-century not enough to save KKR
Put in to bat by Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul, Venkatesh Iyer smashed 67 off 49 deliveries to help KKR post a total of 165/7. Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana also make good contributions for the Eoin Morgan-led team.
However, Iyer's heroics were not enough as the Punjab Kings snatched a 5-wicket victory, with Rahul hitting a fine half-century himself. Rahul and Mayank Agarwal put on a 70-run opening stand, but after Agarwal fell, KKR stayed in the game as they picked wickets at regular intervals.
There was some late drama, as KL Rahul was given out in the penultimate over. However, the third umpire decided that Tripathi's catch at deep midwicket was not a clean one.
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Iyer then got KL Rahul out in the final over. With PBKS suddenly needing four runs off the same number of deliveries, Iyer almost picked up another wicket when Shahrukh Khan hit him towards cow corner.
However, Tripathi, running in from a distance, could not hold on to the ball, and it fell outside the boundary line to seal a crucial win for the Punjab Kings.