Venkatesh Iyer captured the spotlight not only with his unbeaten half-century but also with a celebration that many on social media claimed was inspired by actor and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay's film Mersal. This occurred during Royal Challengers Bengaluru's IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Sunday.
After reaching his fifty, Iyer recreated a pose popularized by Vijay in the film Mersal. Videos of the celebration quickly spread across social media platforms, with fans highlighting the resemblance between the gestures. The Mersal celebration is associated with Vijay's on-screen mannerisms, which are widely emulated by his fans.
However, RCB posted on social media that it was an "Impact Player Celebration," referring to the signal given by umpires in IPL games when an impact player takes the field.
Iyer remained unbeaten on 73 off 40 balls, hitting eight fours and four sixes, as RCB posted a formidable 222/4 in 20 overs.
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, RCB started cautiously with Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethell taking time to settle on a pitch that offered some movement for the bowlers. Punjab Kings kept things tight initially, as RCB managed only 17 runs in the first two overs.
Bethell looked uncomfortable at the start but attempted to change the momentum with a boundary. Later, Harpreet Brar dismissed Devdutt Padikkal in the 10th over, with the batter falling five runs short of a half-century.
Kohli continued to score freely and completed his fifty in 31 balls with a single in the 12th over. He added important runs with Iyer.
Iyer struggled early in his innings before settling down. The left-hander shifted gears in the 14th over by hitting Brar for back-to-back boundaries and followed it up with two sixes against Yuzvendra Chahal in the next over.
Chahal eventually dismissed Kohli on the final ball of the over after the batter scored 58 off 37 balls.
Following Kohli's wicket, Iyer took charge along with Tim David. He attacked the Punjab bowlers in the death overs and completed his half-century in 29 balls before finishing unbeaten on 73.
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