Venkatesh Iyer in action during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
| Photo Credit: PTI
A subpar campaign for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2025 didn’t do justice to his hefty price tag of ₹23.75 crore, and led to the three-time champion releasing the 30-year-old all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh before the mini auction.
Venkatesh Iyer still has some value to offer which was evident in KKR showing interest at the auction too, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru was just willing to shell out a bit more from its purse for his services.
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Venkatesh Iyer, who has played two ODIs and nine T20Is for India, has been in decent form for Madhya Pradesh in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where his most recent knock was a 43-ball 70 against Punjab. He has also taken six scalps with his medium-pace in the domestic T20 tournament.
Venkatesh Iyer has so far played 62 IPL matches scoring 1468 runs with 104 being his highest. He has a strike rate of 137.32. His best average at in the 2024 season (46.25) at a strike rate of 158.80.
Published – December 16, 2025 03:41 pm IST