Ajinkya Rahane was one of the contenders for the captaincy alongside Venkatesh Iyer, the India and Madhya Pradesh allrounder. Venkatesh Iyer was released after the 2024 season but was bought back by KKR in the auction for INR 23.75 crore (US$2.3 million approx.). While Venkatesh Iyer recently said he was ready to take on the captaincy, if offered, KKR eventually picked Rahane for the job, with Venkatesh Iyer named his deputy.
Ajinkya Rahane’s vast experience and “maturity” in handling an “intense” tournament such as the IPL made him the automatic choice to lead defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), franchise CEO Venky Mysore has said.
he Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) acquired the services of Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 Auction here at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah on Sunday. Venkatesh Iyer stunned many after being roped in for a massive price of Rs 23.75 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL 2025 mega auction on Sunday, November 24. Venkatesh Iyer entered the auction at a base price of Rs 2 crore and saw a massive bidding war for him by three teams.
Venkatesh Iyer, the star Madhya Pradesh all-rounder attracted major interest from Lucknow Super Giants, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders. The IPL 2024 champions KKR managed to secure the deal after they made the winning bid of Rs 23.75 crore.
Venkatesh Iyer’s rise to ranks in IPL Auction.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) acquired the services of Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 Auction here at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah on Sunday. With a base price of Rs. 2 crore, Venkatesh Iyer was expected to fetch a good price, but no one could have predicted the astronomical heights his auction would reach.
KKR, who didn’t have the option of Right to Match heading into this auction (as they had already retained six players), were the first ones to raise the paddle for the MP all-rounder. LSG joined the bid quickly but moved out when the bid reached Rs 7.75 crore. RCB entered next and had a bidding war with KKR for Iyer
KKR, the team he helped lead to glory in the previous season, opened the bidding. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) quickly joined in, trying to snatch Venkatesh Iyer from KKR. The bidding escalated steadily, with LSG pushing the price to Rs 6 crore. However, they bowed out as KKR raised their bid to Rs 7.75 crore.
Paddles were raised rapidly as the two franchises showed no signs of backing down. The bid crossed Rs 18 crore, then Rs 19 crore, with KKR momentarily in the lead at Rs 19.25 crore. KKR raised the bid to Rs 20.75 crore, but RCB still wasn’t done. The battle continued until the bid hit an astonishing Rs 23.75 crore as KKR claimed the services of their former all-rounder.
Venkatesh Iyer’s performance in IPL and for KKR
Venkatesh Iyer had debuted for KKR in 2021 and immediately made an impact with a prolific season, scoring 370 runs in just 10 matches at an average of 41.11. His exploits with the bat and ball earned him a spot in the Indian national team in both T20Is and ODIs. Over his IPL career, Iyer amassed 1,326 runs in 50 matches at an average of 31.57, with one century and 11 half-centuries with highest score of 104.
Bought in 2021, Venkatesh Iyer has played 51 matches in the IPL, all of them for KKR, scoring 1326 uns, including a hundred. He became the first Indian batter to hit a hundred for KKR in 2023 season.
In IPL 2024, Venkatesh Iyer’s value as a match-winner was undeniable. His T20 batting strike rate of 137.64 and his tight bowling economy under seven underscored his all-around capabilities. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder had also hit 121 fours and 61 sixes in his IPL career, solidifying his reputation as a power-hitter.
Venkatesh Iyer played a key role in KKR’s title-winning run in 2024, hitting 370 runs at a staggering strike rate of 158. Ajinkya Rahane skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) for IPL 2025 has heaped praises and justified the price tag for Venkatesh Iyer.
Ajinkya Rahane defends all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer’s massive salary for IPL 2025
Newly appointed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Ajinkya Rahane requested the media to refrain from questions surrounding Venkatesh Iyer’s price tag during the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The all-rounder fetched a winning bid of INR 23.75 crore from the three-time winners after an intense bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) during the mega auction.
Venkatesh Iyer could not find a place in KKR’s retention list during the off-season, and found himself in the auction pool for the first time since his debut in 2021. With KKR adamant about retaining as much of the title-winning squad as possible, they went all out for the player during the auction. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder’s price tag has been extensively dissected as he became the fourth-most expensive acquisition of all time.
After Iyer was quizzed about his price tag for the umpteenth time since the mega auction, Rahane made an outright statement and urged everyone to stop bringing up the figure and its subsequent questioning.
“I want to tell you all that Venkatesh Iyer deserved that price tag. People are talking about all these things, but he has done well for this franchise on a number of occasions, so I think he deserves that price. I just want to tell you that please support the team and not ask all these questions in the coming press conferences or wherever,” KKR captain Rahane said in a press conference ahead of IPL 2025
Venkatesh Iyer, on his part, admitted that the pressure of the price tag is not avoidable. However, he added that it will be an irrelevant factor once the season begins.
“Wherever I go, I get asked this question, so it is existent, right? You can’t ignore it altogether. When the IPL will start, it really doesn’t matter. You are part of a playing XI, you are a part of a team that is going out there to win.
It really does not matter for what price you were picked or what is expected out of you. Pressure is always there, irrespective, if not the price tag, it will be something else. It’ll either be selection or batting in multiple positions, the pressure will still be there,” Venkatesh Iyer said.
Venkatesh Iyer played a crucial role for KKR in their IPL 2024 triumph. He batted in a wide variety of positions in the middle order, showcasing his versatility, to score 370 runs at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 158.80. Ajinkya Rahane will lead KKR for the first time in the IPL 2025 season-opener clash against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Saturday, March 22, at the Eden Gardens and Venkatesh Iyer would be his deputy in the same.