Venkatesh Iyer’s claim came hours after he was roped in by KKR for an unexpected price of INR 23.75 crore at the at the mega auction. India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer dropped a staggering statement on Sunday hinting that he might lead Kolkata Knight Riders at the impending 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Venkatesh’s claim came hours after he was roped in by KKR for an unexpected price of INR 23.75 crore at the at the mega auction at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah.
In a rather shocking move, which received much criticism from fans and experts, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise, who did not opt to retain IPL-winning captain Shreyas Iyer at the mega auction here went for an all out bidding war against Royal Challengers Bengaluru to secure Venkatesh. KKR did chase to re-sign Shreyas at the auction on Sunday, but quickly dropped out from the race following their final bid of INR 9.75 crore in a fierce battle against Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings, with the latter eventually bagging the India star for INR 26.75 crore.
With KKR still looking for a captaincy option, Venkatesh said that he is ready to take on the role in the next season as he reminded thet he was the deputy to Nitish Rana in IPL 2023 season. “I had the opportunity to captain the side in Nitish Rana’s absence when he was unfortunately injured, and I was the vice-captain as well,” said Venkatesh after he was bought by KKR for the huge amount. “I’ve always believed that captaincy is just a tag, but leadership is about creating an environment where everyone feels they can play for this team and contribute. If given the responsibility, I would be more than happy to take it on. Absolutely (I’m ready for it).
“Together, we will aim to defend the championship and continue our winning campaign. Thank you very much for picking me in your squad,” he added. Venkatesh, who played for India in nine T20Is and two ODIs, became the third-most expensive buy at the IPL mega auction, after Shreyas (Punjab Kings, INR 26.75 crore) and Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants, INR 27 crore), and fourth-most in the history of IPL.
“Thank you, KKR, for trusting me and showing so much belief in me. I’m extremely delighted to be part of Kolkata Knight Riders again. To be honest, I’m at a loss for words, but I’m elated to be part of the KKR team once again,” said the 29-year-old. “The KKR coach (Chandrakant Pandit) was also my coach in Madhya Pradesh. We were discussing how I felt nervous about coming back to KKR. But again, it’s a message of the franchise’s focus on winning championships and player development and how much they value its players. I’m thrilled to play for KKR again and happy they’ve shown so much confidence in me.”
KKR bought a total of eight players on Sunday, splurging INR 49.25 crore. Besides Venkatesh, they also bought Anrich Nortje (INR 6.50 crore), Quinton de Kock (INR 3.60 crore), Angrish Raghuvanshi (INR 3 crore), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (INR 2 crore), Vaibhav Arora (INR 1.80 crore) and Mayank Markande (INR 30 lakh).
