Why is Venkatesh Iyer not playing today's KKR vs CSK IPL 2025 match?

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer will be out of action as his team takes on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) today (May 7). The match is being played at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Venkatesh Iyer was a part of the KKR XI when they played against the Rajasthan Royals last week. The 30-year-old was not needed with both the bat in hand and the ball as well.

Speaking at the toss to Ravi Shastri, Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Ajinkya Rahane mentioned that Iyer had suffered an injury and had stitched up his hand. He said:

"We will look to bat first. Looks like a very good wicket. This looks a very good wicket, we batted really well in the last two matches and will look to post a good score and defend it. The chat has been to take one game at a time, lots of learning from previous games.

"Very eager for this game. In this format you are bound to lose close games. Batting, bowling and fielding wise we improved a lot. Trying to play with freedom. Just one change, Venkatesh Iyer misses out, he has got stitches in his hands."

KKR have made one change as Manish Pandey replaced Iyer in the XI. As for CSK, they have made two changes with Sam Curran, Deepak Hooda and Shaikh Rasheed making way for Devon Conway, Ravichandran Ashwin and debutant Urvil Patel.

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Venkatesh Iyer had a very poor season with the bat for the Knight Riders

Venkatesh Iyer in practice for KKR- Source: Getty

Venkatesh Iyer was the third-most expensive buy in the mega auctions, with KKR beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a bidding war and acquiring him at ₹23.75 crore. In seven innings so far, the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder has only managed 142 runs, with a personal best of 60 against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Kolkata Knight Riders themselves are having their form swing both ways like a pendulum, with their fate for qualification lying in their own hands. They need to win their remaining three games, get to 17 points, and hope that some results go their way.