When Kolkata Knight Riders lifted the IPL trophy last year, Venkatesh Iyer was a key part of their campaign.
But eyebrows were raised when KKR released him before the 2025 mega auction—only to buy him back for a staggering Ra 23.75 crore. It was the third-highest bid in IPL history, behind only Rishabh Pant (Rs 27 crore) and Shreyas Iyer (Rs 26.75 crore).
Iyer had been a consistent contributor since bursting onto the scene in 2021. Apart from a quiet 2022 season, he has scored over 350 runs every year. But never before had he been in the spotlight quite like this—simply because of that towering price tag.
With KKR exhausting their retention quota by holding back the likes of Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh, Iyer’s massive re-purchase became the talking point of their auction strategy.
Naturally, the pressure and scrutiny followed. When Iyer managed just 9 runs across his first two games in IPL 2025—and didn’t even get to bat in the second—questions began to surface. Was he worth the money?
But Iyer stayed unbothered. His response came loud and clear, both with the bat and with his words. Blasting a scintillating 60 off just 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he played a match-winning hand to get KKR back on track.
“Once IPL starts, it doesn't matter whether you were sold for Rs 20 lakh or 20 crore. The money doesn't define how you will play cricket,” Iyer said at the post-match press conference.
“We have a youngster called Angrish Raghuvanshi, who is doing really well. I know that the question of high payment and expectations will come up a lot, but I am a player who wants to contribute to the team's success. There will be tricky situations when my team would require me to play out a few balls. If I can do that even after not scoring that many runs, I have done the job for my team. It doesn't mean that I'm the highest-paid cricketer I will have to score in every match. It's about the impact.”
“Yes, there is some pressure, I won't lie. The pressure is not about money, it is about how I can contribute to the team's success,” he added.
His statement was backed by action. In a breathtaking display at the death, Iyer smashed two sixes and six fours in his final 12 balls. He plundered 20 runs off SRH skipper Pat Cummins in the 19th over alone, showcasing exactly why KKR backed him with such a hefty bid.
“I don't look at who is bowling. The focus is always on what is being bowled, looking at the field placement,” Iyer explained, underlining his process-driven mindset."
For all the noise around the price tag, Venkatesh Iyer is proving he’s focused not on the numbers off the field, but on making every ball count on it.
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