IPL 2026: Venkatesh Iyer's strong record could earn him RCB spot vs MI

Royal Challengers Bengaluru may include all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for their clash against Mumbai Indians. His strong past performance against MI and at Wankhede stadium, along with a recent fiery knock, makes him a tempting choice for RCB.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) could be tempted to play all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer during their marquee clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium, given his strong record against the five-time champions and at the iconic venue in Mumbai.

Venkatesh made his first appearance as an RCB player during IPL 2026 edition during the last match as an Impact Player, scoring a fiery 29* in 15 balls, with a four and a six to power his side to a score of 201/8.

Venkatesh Iyer's Strong Record Against MI

Against MI, the all-rounder has a strong record, scoring 365 runs in seven matches at an average of 60.83, with a strike rate of 160.08, including a century and three fifties.

Impressive Stats at Wankhede

In six innings at Wankhede, Venkatesh has made 202 runs at an average of 33.67, with a strike rate of 137.41, including a century and fifty each.

Iyer's Overall IPL Career

In 63 IPL matches and 57 innings, he has made 1,497 runs at an average of 30.55 and a strike rate of over 138, with a century and 12 fifties.

Squads

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad

Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Venkatesh Iyer, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Swapnil Singh, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Satvik Deswal

Mumbai Indians Squad

Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, AM Ghazanfar, Jasprit Bumrah, Sherfane Rutherford, Corbin Bosch, Robin Minz, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Mayank Markande, Quinton de Kock, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Raghu Sharma, Atharva Ankolekar, Danish Malewar, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar.

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