Andy Flower claims KKR ruined Venkatesh Iyer: "He would've had a really great season..."

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower has made a bold statement on Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) big, most expensive signing, Venkatesh Iyer, after shattering their 18-year-long IPL title drought. On June 3, RCB crushed PBKS in the IPL 2025 final and lifted their maiden title.

However, after the IPL 2025 mega auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru faced severe criticism for their auction strategy, as they didn’t go for the big name, and their most expensive player was Australian speedster Josh Hazlewood. They had signed Hazlewood for INR 12.50 crore.

Andy Flower’s INR 23.50 Crore revelation goes viral after IPL 2025 Final

The franchise focused on the Indian talents, not the big names, and they didn’t even try much for the big names like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and others at the mega auction. Now, their planning and smart picks turned out to be a blockbuster, winning their first title after 17 seasons.

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After the title triumph, Andy Flower has dropped a bombshell. The RCB head coach revealed that they were ready to splash a jaw-dropping INR 23.50 crore on Venkatesh Iyer in the IPL 2025 mega auction. But Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) managed to retain the flamboyant all-rounder at INR 23.75 crore.

Unfortunately, Iyer failed to justify the massive price tag for KKR in the IPL 2025. He scored only 142 runs in 11 matches for KKR at a meager average of 20.29 and a strike rate of 139.22. However, Flower boldly claimed that Venkatesh could’ve thrived in RCB colors.

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He would have had a really great season with RCB: Andy Flower

The RCB head coach Andy Flower claimed the left-handed batter would have had a “great season” if he were part of RCB’s power-packed lineup. Andy Flower revealed that the franchise rated Venky “very highly” and felt he could be a key Indian core member and a valuable left-handed top-order option for them.

Andy Flower had said at the post-match press conference after the final in Ahmedabad, “We really rated Venky (highly); that's why we went so hard for him. It was because we valued having a strong Indian core to our team. We wanted some exciting young cricketers and a left-hander in the top order. We didn't get him. I would like to think if he played for us, he would have had a really great season.”

𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫🎙️: " We really rated Venky, that's why we went hard for him bcoz we valued having a strong Indian core to our team. If he came and played for us, he would have had a really great season..."#RCB #IPL2025 #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/wlAb3eiylI

— ᴅᴋ (@coach_dk19) June 5, 2025

RCB had to make do with Devdutt Padikkal and Mayank Agarwal after not getting Venkatesh Iyer

Notably, after not getting Iyer, RCB had signed Devdutt Padikkal at his base price of INR 2 crore. Padikkal had a decent season before a hamstring injury ruled him out of the latter phase of IPL 2025. He scored 247 runs from 10 innings at an average of 27.44, and the strike rate was 150.60.

Later, Mayank Agarwal replaced Padikkal for INR 1 crore. The Indian batter played four matches for RCB, including Qualifier 1 and the IPL 2025 final, and scored 95 runs at an average of 148.43 and a strike rate of 148.43.

Now, it will be interesting to see whether Royal Challengers Bengaluru will go for Iyer if KKR releases him ahead of the mini auction after a poor season for the IPL 2026.

Read Also: Watch: Virat Kohli goes full fanboy over Rajat Patidar during RCB celebrations