Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer revealed a conversation with MS Dhoni about a tactical move during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Iyer also said that MS Dhoni, who was leading Chennai Super Kings (CSK), placed a fielder in an unusual short third position to dismiss him.
Iyer joined Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of IPL 2025 after the franchise secured him for Rs 23.75 crore in the mega auction. He was not retained before the auction, but KKR aggressively bid to bring him back. The left-handed batter scored 370 runs in 13 innings at an average of 46.25, including four half-centuries.
I Hit It Straight into Short Third’s Hands – Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer has been named vice-captain of Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2025. Iyer spoke about learning from legends like MS Dhoni and recalled a conversation with Dhoni about a tactical move in IPL 2023.
“Dhoni took out a fielder from deep square leg and placed him at short third, slightly away from the spot where short third usually is. The [very] next ball, I hit straight into short third’s hands,” Venkatesh Iyer is quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Post the game, I asked Dhoni why he placed that fielder – Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer was dismissed for nine runs off four balls in the match against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Ravindra Jadeja took a catch at short third man off Deepak Chahar’s bowling.
After the game, Iyer asked MS Dhoni about the unusual field placement. Iyer revealed that Dhoni analyzed bat angles and shot directions, predicting where the batter would likely hit the ball.
“Post the game I asked Dhoni why he placed that fielder in that spot and he had a proper answer for it. He was trying to understand the impact of the ball from my bat, the angles. His reading of angles is just out of the world, and he knew that if I hit this shot, it has to go in that direction, so he had a fielder put there. This is being proactive. This is real captaincy: understanding what a batter is doing,” said Venkatesh.
“That was the cunning of Dhoni. I could have waited for a couple of balls, but no, the next ball, I hit it there (chuckles) and it just happened. The cameras showed the exact picture of how the field changed and the very next ball I hit there. It is up to the batsman to understand why certain things are being done [on the field],” he added.
Kolkata Knight Riders to Kick Off IPL 2025 Campaign on March 22
Kolkata Knight Riders will begin their IPL 2025 campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 22 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Ajinkya Rahane will lead KKR for the first time after being bought for Rs 1.5 crore in the 2025 mega auction.
The defending champions will face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 11 in Chennai, with the reverse fixture on May 6 at home.
KKR won their third IPL title in 2024, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets in the final. They bowled SRH out for 113 and chased the target in just 10.3 overs. With this victory, KKR joined Mumbai Indians (MI) and CSK as the only teams with three or more IPL titles.
Also read: Sam Curran in the race for England’s white-ball captaincy after becoming Surrey T20 captain
Leave feedback about this