Venkatesh Iyer's price tag waved like a Red Flag after non-stop IPL failures for KKR

After Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) disastrous performance against Mumbai Indians (MI) in their IPL 2025 match at the Wankhede Stadium, Piyush Chawla has raised concerns over the team’s approach and shot selection, especially by Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ batting line-up collapsed terribly, as the defending champions were bowled out for just 116 at Wankhede Stadium, with half of the side crumbling for a mere 45 runs, and 26 being the top score against the Mumbai Indians on Monday.

Piyush Chawla slams KKR's reckless batting approach after embarrassing collapse against Mumbai Indians

Chawla, who played for both KKR and MI, believes that the defending champions have failed to respect the conditions and misjudged the tricky pitch. The former Indian spinner was particularly critical of Venkatesh Iyer, who was purchased for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction but was dismissed for a mere three runs off nine balls against the MI.

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Iyer's rash shot selection, which saw him edge one to the wicketkeeper off Deepak Chahar's bowling, only added to KKR’s woes. He also fell for just six runs in the IPL 2025 opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Chawla mentioned that the conditions at the Wankhede Stadium were not suited for aggressive batting, especially with the swinging ball. He stressed the need for players to play more cautiously when the ball was new, waiting for it to soften before unleashing their shots.

Venkatesh Iyer repeatedly attempting fancy shots despite struggling: Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla said on JioStar: “Sometimes, you have to respect the conditions. It wasn't a typical batting surface, especially with the new ball. You need to play cautiously at the start because once the ball gets older and softer, that's when you can go for your shots. But here, that didn't happen.”

He pointed out that players like Trent Boult, known for swinging the ball, were always going to pose a threat. Chawla also noted the pressure that Venkatesh Iyer must be feeling after his hefty price tag, which could be affecting his performances in the ongoing IPL 2025.

He further explained, “We all know Trent Boult can swing the ball outside, and it was clear that he had a plan for Sunil Narine, which worked perfectly. Venkatesh Iyer also struggled, repeatedly attempting fancy shots. As I mentioned earlier, the pressure of Venkatesh Iyer's heavy price tag is always there.”

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Piyush Chawla slams Rinku Singh's unnecessary shot against MI in the IPL 2025

Furthermore, Chawla believes that Rinku Singh played an unnecessary shot against the short ball, given KKR’s situation in the IPL 2025 clash with the Mumbai Indians. Rinku was dismissed by the debutant left-arm pacer Ashwarni Kumar after scoring just 17 runs.

Chawla signed off by saying, “Then, the way Rinku got out—he has a good head on his shoulders, but that shot was unnecessary. There were still 8-10 overs left, and the team needed stability. Even with an impact player and batting depth till number nine, they couldn't play the full 20 overs. That tells the whole story.”