23.75 Crore KKR Star Takes Unique Step In Keeping Outside Noise Out – Cricket.com

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) splashed INR 23.75 crore on all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. He was the most expensive player behind Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. Venkatesh, however, did not justify his price tag as he managed just 142 runs at a strike rate of 139 in the season, where he was also dropped from the XI on a couple of occasions.
There were plenty of talks about the price tag and perhaps the massive sum was putting extra pressure on him. In fact, there were many who questioned Venkatesh's inclusion in the team if he was not going to be named captain. All this outside noise weighed him down and did not let him play to his full potential.
He admits he came up with an interesting step to keep the outside noise out. "People who had these questions are not even on my contact list. So why do I have to even think about what they are thinking?" Venkatesh told Sportskeeda when asked about the criticism he faced for his price tag.
KKR finished eighth on the points table, a season after clinching their third IPL title. The 30-year-old remains unfazed by critics constantly pointing fingers at his hefty price tag.
"It’s my life, my game, my career. And it’s my team that has chosen to spend so much on me. So these things don’t faze me. See, for a boy who wanted to just play IPL cricket, even ₹20 lakh would sometimes feel like a significant amount. And over the years, this is what I’ve learnt," he said.
Not just me, but all the cricketers have learnt this: there are a lot of eyes on you, but it’s important to know what to pay heed to. People who have had a direct impact on my life, I am answerable to only them."
Despite his poor form, he found support in KKR CEO Venky Mysore, who he says did not put much emphasis on his price tag.
"It’s not about just the money, it’s about where I fit in their scheme of things. Venky sir once told me something, which I felt made a lot of sense. He said, “At the end of the day, you are given 120 units to build a team. Once the team is built, it doesn’t matter how many units you have spent on what. It is a team that has been made now, that’s it," the Madhya Pradesh star said.
Despite having a season to forget, Venkatesh says there were plenty of learnings from the previous season.
"Yeah, I have taken the learnings, taken the positives, and whatever mistakes happened. But yeah, there were a lot of things that have come up that I feel hindered my performance. But all in all, good one or bad one, winning the trophy or not winning it, scoring 600-700 runs, that and all is different. It was a season full of learnings, and that is what is constant," he observed.
Venkatesh has not played for India since 2022 and will look to the upcoming domestic season to make a case for his selection, ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
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