Venkatesh Iyer from Madhya Pradesh really showed some serious guts on Thursday when he decided to bat despite nursing an injury during the Ranji Trophy match against Kerala. As reported by India Today, Iyer twisted his ankle right after stepping up to bat with his team struggling at 49/4. Just three balls in, he went down in pain from the sudden injury.

The physio quickly rushed to help him, and it looked grim as Iyer limped off the field, leaving Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans worried, especially since the franchise had just picked him up for a whopping INR 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 auction.

But in a true show of resilience, Iyer made an impressive return to the pitch. Despite the pain, he managed to score a vital 42 runs off 80 balls. His determination and focus played a key role in helping Madhya Pradesh post a total of 160, giving them a fighting chance in a tough match. Fans couldn't help but cheer for Iyer's bravery online.

Check out how the fans responded:

Iyer's early injury really shook things up for the KKR team. After letting him go before the auction, KKR found themselves in a heated bidding war with Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore to bring him back.

His standout performance in the 2024 season, where he scored 370 runs with an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 158.79, only made him more valuable. Losing him to injury would have been a huge setback for KKR's hopes of defending their title.

In Madhya Pradesh's innings, he was the ninth wicket to fall, also at 160.

Since KKR couldn't reacquire their 2024 IPL-winning captain Shreyas Iyer, there's a lot of buzz about Venkatesh Iyer possibly stepping up as the new leader, but the franchise hasn't confirmed anything yet.

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