KKR on regret mode after Venkatesh Iyer hefty buy? Franchise issue official statement

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) CEO Venky Mysore revealed the reason behind breaking the bank to reacquire Venkatesh Iyer in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Venky Mysore's statement came amid a barrage of criticism from fans and former cricketers over KKR's decision regarding Venkatesh Iyer's signing.

The defending IPL champions acquired Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore as their first purchase in the highly anticipated 2025 mega auction at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah on Monday, November 24. They secured him after a fierce bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Didn't Want To Find Ourselves In A Situation Where... - Venky Mysore

Speaking at the press conference, Venky Mysore said that the Kolkata Knight Riders had planned to secure their players from the last season. Mysore stated that they didn't want to lose Venkatesh Iyer during the mega auction.

"The auctions are this way only. At the end of the day, it is about the player you want and the type of player you want. It [the prices] surprises you all the time. When you have salary caps like this, which keep going up, the prices will expand," Mysore said.

"For us, it was about keeping our core. We kept six players and have brought 2-3 players back from last year. That was the thinking and as far as he (Venkatesh) is concerned we definitely did't want to find ourselves in a situation where we may not be able to bing him back. But it always balances itself," he added.

He Had Clearly Given Us An Ultimatum - Venky Mysore

Venky Mysore praised Venkatesh Iyer for his contributions to Kolkata Knight Riders' 2024 title win and their 2021 final appearance. He humorously mentioned that Iyer gave an "ultimatum," saying he would be upset if not retained. Mysore added that both the player and the team are happy.

"They've proven on the field what they can do. You saw in a championship year, and one year we went to the final as well, in 2021. He (Venkatesh) was highly instrumental and terrific guy in the team. He had clearly given us an ultimatum that, 'If you don't pick me, I will be very sad'. So we didn't want him to be sad, and we're also very happy," Mysore added.

Venkatesh Iyer Has Been Part of KKR Since 2021 Season

Venkatesh Iyer has been with the Knight Riders since 2021. The southpaw scored 370 runs in his debut IPL season. In 2024, he scored 370 runs in 13 innings with a strike rate of 158.79. Over four seasons, he amassed 1,326 runs at a strike rate of 137.12, including one century and 11 half-centuries.

Kolkata Knight Riders secured nine players from their IPL 2024-winning squad, including Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh. They also added Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh, and Vaibhav Arora during the first day of the mega auction.

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