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Shreyas Iyer sends message to IPL franchises on eve of mega auction with unbeaten 57-ball 130 vs Goa side featuring Arjun Tendulkar

Shreyas Iyer did not hold back in Mumbai's SMAT opener as he hit 11 fours and 10 sixes in his 57-ball 130 against Goa.

Arun Rawal

• Sat • 23 Nov 2024

Shreyas Iyer

Highlights:

Shreyas Iyer scored his T20 career's third century.

This is Iyer's second century in SMAT.

Iyer registered the highest individual T20 score against Goa.

Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer has sent a timely reminder to all the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise on the eve of mega auction. Iyer scored third T20 century of his career to get Mumbai's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024 campaign off to a blazing start.

At Gymkhana Ground, Hyderabad, Mumbai skipper Iyer walked out to bat in the second over after Shubham Tari got rid of Angkrish Raghuvanshi. Iyer shared a 57-run partnership for the second wicket with Prithvi Shaw. The opener was knocked over by Darshal Misal on the last ball of the powerplay overs. On his return to competitive cricket, he scored 33 runs from 22 balls including five fours and a six.

Iyer continued to take on the Goan bowling lineup that features left-arm pacer Arjun Tendulkar. Ajinkya Rahane resorted to rotating the strike but was eventually dismissed by Darshan Misal for a run-a-ball 13. Iyer reached his century from 47 balls with a single. He went on to score 130 runs from 57 balls. His splendid knock was studded with 11 fours and 10 sixes.On the other end, Shams Mulani scored 41 runs from 24 balls including four fours and a couple of sixes. Mumbai posted 250/4, the joint fourt-highest total in the tournament's history.

Feats achieved by Iyer

Iyer became the third batter to score a century against Goa in SMAT. The previous record for highest score against Goa belonged to Saurashtra's Avi Barot who scored 122 runs from 53 balls in 2021 edition. Iyer's 130 is also the sixth-highest individual score in SMAT. The top score of 147 belonged to him before Hyderabad captain Tilak Varma scored 151 on November 23 against Mehgalaya.

Iyer to start full-blown bidding war

Iyer who was released by KKR ahead of the mega auction, has registered at a base price of Rs 2 crore. In addition to KKR, Delhi Capitals (DC), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Punjab Kings (PBKS), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be looking for a new captain. Iyer who is one of the marquee players can start a bidding war on November 24 at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.