Despite 23.75 Cr, Venki is Pursuing PhD

'I am pursuing my PhD (finance) now. You will be interviewing me as Dr Venkatesh Iyer next time!'

Venkatesh Iyer, who will take home a Rs 23.75 crore pay cheque at IPL 2025, likely believes in the adage 'Money don't maketh a man as much as education can.'

'I come from an orthodox family, so it is tough to convince middle class parents that I will pursue only cricket. But it was the other way around. I was big on academics. My parents wanted me to do well in the game as well,' Venky told the Indian Express newspaper.

'If a new guy walks into the MP (Madhya Pradesh) team, the first thing I ask him is 'padhai kar rahe ho ki nahi?? (are you studying or not?)' Education will stay with you till you die, a cricketer cannot play till 60. You have to understand that there is a shelf life,' Venky, who plays for MP in domestic cricket, added.

'After that, if you want to really excel in life, you have to be educated. Academics can give me the perfect switch-off from the game. I don't want to be thinking of the game all the time, it adds pressure. Being an educated person helps me make better decisions on the field as well.

'I want cricketers to educate themselves not just with cricketing knowledge, but general knowledge as well. If you can complete your graduation or post-graduation, you definitely should. I am pursuing my PhD (finance) now. You will be interviewing me as Dr Venkatesh Iyer next time!' he asserted.

Iyer also revealed the discussion he had with KKR CEO Venky Mysore ahead of the IPL auction.

'I had a word with him (Mysore) before the announcement of retentions. He was very clear in telling me that 'We won't be able to retain you because of the retention rules' and not because they didn't want me in KKR.'

'So I told him, "Sir, if you have the option, and if you can, please do everything in your power to get me back to KKR". It kind of worked, didn't it? It goes to show how much he trusts and believes in me.'