Venkatesh Iyer bought by RCB for INR 7 crore at IPL Auction 2026
Published - 16 Dec 2025, 03:14 PM | Updated - 16 Dec 2025, 04:28 PM
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Mini-Auction delivered a big surprise on Tuesday, December 16, as out-of-favor Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer triggered an intense bidding battle and walked away with a massive deal of INR 7 crore in Abu Dhabi.
The move stood out at the auction, especially considering Iyer has not featured for India since 2022. Iyer entered the IPL 2026 Auction at the highest base price of ₹2 crore. He was listed in the pace-bowling all-rounders category and was among the 45 players carrying the top base price.
Venkatesh Iyer gets a whopping deal at IPL 2026 Auction
The 30-year-old was placed in Set Number 2 under the All-Rounder 1 group. By the end of the bidding, Iyer walked away with a heavy paycheck from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Despite being out of the Indian cricket team for a long time, the RCB went all out and broke its bank to secure Venkatesh Iyer’s services in Abu Dhabi, showing strong belief in his potential as a batting all-rounder despite his poor season earlier this year.
Iyer was once seen as a potential long-term backup for Hardik Pandya, but his international career lost momentum due to injuries and inconsistent performances. He has not played for India since 2022. So far, he has featured in 2 ODIs and 9 T20Is for India. He scored 133 runs in ODIs and 24 runs in T20Is. With the ball, he has taken five wickets in T20I cricket.
Venkatesh Iyer set for a fresh IPL journey
Until this IPL 2026 Auction, Venkatesh Iyer had spent his entire IPL career with the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was first picked by KKR in 2021 and remained with the franchise until being released ahead of this auction.
Notably, KKR had bought him back for a record ₹23.75 crore using the Right to Match card at the 2025 mega auction. However, IPL 2025 turned out to be a tough season for him, as he scored only 142 runs in 11 matches at an average of 20.28.
Across 62 IPL matches, Iyer has scored 1331 runs in 50 innings at an average of 30.95 and a strike rate of 136.6. His record includes one century, 11 half-centuries, 122 fours, and 61 sixes. With the ball, he has picked up three wickets since making his IPL debut in 2021.
Now, with the RCB backing him strongly, Iyer will be eager to turn the page and make a strong comeback in IPL 2026 to revive his career.
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Venkatesh Iyer KKR IPL IPL auction Kolkata Knight Riders Royal Challengers Bangalore Royal Challengers BengaluruAbout the Author
Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ...
