IPL 2023: Watch - Venkatesh Iyer’s brilliant diving effort ends Virat Kohli’s entertaining knock

Venkatesh Iyer took an unbelievable catch to send back RCB stand-in skipper Virat Kohli.

On April 26, at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squared off in IPL 2023 match number 36. It was an opportunity for RCB to avenge their 81-run loss to KKR in their previous meeting at Eden Gardens.

Once again serving as the team's captain, Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl first. Vaibhav Arora was a member of the KKR starting XI while RCB's starting lineup remained unaltered.

When Jason Roy (56) and N Jagadeesan (27) lost their wickets after adding 83 runs in 9.2 overs, it appeared like RCB would hold them to a low total. But after that, KKR reached 200/5 in 20 overs because to Venkatesh Iyer (31), Captain Nitish Rana (48 in 21 balls), and the partnership of Rinku Singh (18*) and David Wiese (12* in 3 balls).

Wanindu Hasaranga and Vijaykumar Vyshak both claimed two wickets.

Virat Kohli scores a half-century but holds out in the deep to Venkatesh Iyer’s stupendous catch

In response, Virat Kohli (54 in 37 balls) and Mahipal Lomror (34), both of whom played some exciting strokes, couldn't maintain RCB ahead of the necessary run rate since KKR kept taking wickets at regular intervals.

RCB really wanted Virat Kohli to continue after reaching his half-century, but he fell to Andre Russell.

On the first ball of the 13th over, Andre Russell bowled a short ball, which Virat Kohli pulled with disdain towards the mid-wicket boundary. The ball seemed to be going for a boundary, but Venkatesh Iyer who was patrolling the boundary, covered some good ground before diving and catching the ball and holding onto it despite taking a tumble.

Check out the catch here: