On 18 April 2008, Brendon McCullum gave a dream start to the Indian Premier League with a stunning 158* for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in the first ever match of the tournament.
On 16 April 2023, Venkatesh Iyer ended a long wait for a second century by a Kolkata Knight Riders batter, scoring a century against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.
A total of 5,476 days have passed between the two centuries.
McCullum’s 158 is still considered one of the best knocks in the history of the tournament as he pulverised the RCB bowling attack that day in Bengaluru. Since then, a total of seven scores in 90s were scored by KKR batters, with Dinesh Karthik coming closest with a 97* in April 2019.
On Sunday though, the wait was ended by Venkatesh Iyer’s 49-ball century. Having come in to bat at No 3, at the 11-over mark Iyer had scored nearly 75% off KKR’s runs, and hit 100% of the boundaries KKR had scored till then. He was hit on his knee earlier in the innings and had trouble running between the wickets, but stood upright and delivered some massive blows.
He finished with a 51-ball 104 in the end, in an innings with six fours and nine sixes.
Iyer’s knock was the second century in IPL 2023, following Harry Brook’s against KKR at Eden Gardens. It was, however, not enough for KKR as MI coasted to a win thanks to Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav’s knocks.
IPL 2023: Ishan Kishan stars as MI defeat KKR, Venkatesh Iyer’s century in vain
Highest scores by KKR batters in IPL
| Player | Runs | Balls | SR | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BB McCullum | 158* | 73 | 216.43 | v RCB | Bengaluru | 18 Apr 2008 |
| VR Iyer | 104 | 51 | 203.92 | v Mumbai | Wankhede | 16 Apr 2023 |
| KD Karthik | 97* | 50 | 194.00 | v Royals | Eden Gardens | 25 Apr 2019 |
| MK Pandey | 94 | 50 | 188.00 | v Kings XI | Bengaluru | 1 Jun 2014 |
| CA Lynn | 93* | 41 | 226.82 | v Guj Lions | Rajkot | 7 Apr 2017 |
| G Gambhir | 93 | 51 | 182.35 | v RCB | Eden Gardens | 28 Apr 2012 |
| MS Bisla | 92 | 61 | 150.81 | v Super Kings | Chennai | 28 Apr 2013 |
| SC Ganguly | 91 | 57 | 159.64 | v Chargers | Hyderabad | 11 May 2008 |
| G Gambhir | 90* | 60 | 150.00 | v Sunrisers | Hyderabad | 16 Apr 2016 |
Here are some reactions to Iyer’s knock:
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