Venkatesh Iyer smashed his first half-century in RCB colours with a fine effort against the Punjab Kings in Dharamshala on Sunday. Batting at No.4 in the absence of Rajat Patidar, Venky scored an unbeaten 73 off just 40 balls to power the visitors to 222. Iyer celebrated his milestone in stlye, dropping Thalapathy Vijay's 'Mersal' pose in a viral moment.
Venkatesh's ode to Vijay
The moment came during a crucial innings for RCB, as Venkatesh played an aggressive knock to steady the side and accelerate the scoring rate. After reaching the milestone, he paused briefly and struck the famous pose associated with Vijay’s blockbuster film Mersal, delighting fans in the stadium.
In the pose, Vijay typically raises one arm diagonally across or above his face while standing in a stylish swagger-filled stance. The gesture became hugely popular among fans with Venkatesh also bringing it out in front of a packed stadium in Dharamshala.
Venkatesh Iyer produced a sensational unbeaten 73 off just 40 balls to power Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a massive 222/4 against Punjab Kings in their crucial IPL 2026 clash in Dharamshala on Sunday. Walking in after the dismissal of Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh took complete control of the innings with his aggressive strokeplay and clean hitting.
After Virat Kohli laid the foundation with a fluent 58, Venkatesh accelerated brilliantly in the death overs, smashing Lockie Ferguson for multiple sixes and punishing both pace and spin with ease. Supported by Tim David’s quickfire cameo, the left-hander ensured RCB crossed the 220-run mark and strengthened their push for a playoff berth.
