Latest news with #VenkateshIyer
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Indore Pink Panthers has firepower to lift the trophy, says skipper Iyer
Indore: With the Madhya Pradesh League 2025 commencing in just two days, , who takes over leadership duties this season for Indore Pink Panthers, believes that while the team has the firepower to lift the trophy. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "We have the ingredients to be champions. But temperament, not just talent, decides the outcome. If we handle pressure well, we'll be right in the race. Our aim is clear—we're playing to lift the trophy," said Venkatesh Iyer, as he prepares to lead Indore Pink Panthers. With a refreshed squad and a focused strategy, the team is looking to make a strong impact in the tournament, scheduled to be held in Gwalior from June 12 to 24. Iyer, India all-rounder and KKR vice-captain in IPL 2025, takes over as captain from Rajat Patidar in what marks a new chapter for the team. "The basic plan is always to win," Iyer told TOI. "But I've played enough cricket to understand that in a tournament like this, success comes from taking one game at a time. My first priority is to ensure every player aligns their personal goals with the team's larger mission." Calling it a "special honour" to lead his hometown team, Iyer said, "For any cricketer, it's a dream to play in front of packed stadiums. MPL has become a platform that allows young cricketers from across the state to live that dream. " This season brings a near-complete overhaul of the Panthers' line-up, with only three players retained from the previous edition. IPL pacer Kulwant Khejroliya (Gujarat Titans) has joined the squad, adding firepower to the bowling unit. The franchise has also introduced emerging talents like all-rounder Siddhant Agarwal and wicketkeeper-batter Mehfooz Patel, both nurtured through the team's Player Development Program in collaboration with MPL. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Talking about Madhya Pradesh's cricketing rise, Iyer credited the growing seriousness around domestic cricket. "Today, teams take us seriously. The mindset in Ranji and Mushtaq Ali tournaments is to win. A lot of that shift is thanks to Chandrakant Pandit sir's leadership and discipline. MP cricket is no longer underestimated."
India.com
2 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
IPL's most expensive player, not Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer, this man got Rs 10.75 crore just to bowl three overs, his name is... plays for...
This year's IPL, a player got ₹10.75 crore for just three overs, surprising fans and making the franchise unhappy. Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer experienced a lot of criticism after the end of IPL 2025. Although they secured huge deals, their performances did not meet anyone's expectations. The fans let their feelings known that they weren't happy with the runs made by the team. Lucknow Super Giants bought Pant for a massive Rs 27 crore, but he only scored 269 runs in all 14 matches. It made people wonder how fair the team's benefits were for the price they paid. In 11 IPL matches, Venkatesh Iyer, who was bought for Rs 23.75 crore, could manage just 142 runs. Buying so many expensive players without achieving any wins disappointed the KKR fans. One of Delhi Capitals' signings, T Natarajan, whose price was 10.75 crore, only got the chance to play in two matches. In one game, he only bowled for 3 overs, and allowed 49 runs without getting a wicket. Most people argued that Natarajan failed to live up to his enormous pay scale. The rain affected one match, and he only played once and didn't do well.
India.com
3 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
This player got Rs 107500000 for bowling just three overs in IPL 2025, his name is.....
Lucknow Super Giants captain and wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant and Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Venkatesh Iyer are being criticized a lot. People are criticizing them fiercely during the IPL and even after this tournament, because these players got huge amounts from IPL teams, but their performance was very poor. If you look, you will forget the performance of Rishabh Pant and Venkatesh Iyer, because there is also a player who has got huge amount for bowling just a few overs. In fact, Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player of IPL, who got crores of rupees from Lucknow Super Giants. At the same time, Venkatesh Iyer was among the players sold at the highest price in the history of this league. We all saw how bad the performance of both of them was. Pant scored less runs than expected throughout the season and Venkatesh Iyer could also score very limited runs. However, there is one bowler who got crores of rupees for bowling just a few overs. Actually, this bowler is none other than T Natarajan, who was bought by Delhi Capitals in the IPL mega auction for Rs107500000, but this bowler got a chance to play in only two matches. In one of these matches, bowling was not required because the match was washed out due to rain. He got to bowl in one match, in which he bowled only a few overs out of his quota of overs and conceded a lot of runs. He did not get any wicket either. In this way, this bowler proved to be the most expensive for Delhi Capitals. T Natarajan's performance was completely opposite to expectations. The expectations with which Delhi Capitals had spent such a huge amount were not fulfilled at all, which raised questions on the team's strategy and selection process. However, the IPL rules state that the percentage of matches you play in the league phase is the percentage of money you get.
India.com
3 days ago
- Sport
- India.com
'If he played for us....': RCB head coach makes a massive statement on KKR player, his name is.....
'If he played for us....': RCB head coach makes a massive statement on KKR player, his name is..... New Delhi: There was a race between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore for Venkatesh Iyer in the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, KKR has bought Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 23 crore 75 lakh. Now looking at the season, it can be said that it was right that Venkatesh Iyer was not bought by RCB, because he was a complete flop this season, while RCB lifted the IPL trophy for the first time. However, RCB head coach Andy Flower believes something else. The RCB coach has told why he went so far for him in the auction? Venkatesh Iyer scored only 142 runs in 11 matches for KKR this season. His average was very poor. Apart from Venkatesh Iyer, RCB bought Josh Hazlewood and Phil Salt at his price, both of whom remained match winners for the team till the end. Now RCB head coach Andy Flower has supported Venkatesh Iyer and said that if he had played for RCB, he would have performed well. Venkatesh was with KKR last season and played well, but this time his bat did not work. Hyderabad got a better deal At the price at which KKR bought Iyer, Delhi added two important players – Tristan Stubbs and Mukesh Kumar – to the team for the same amount. Both these players kept giving match-winning performances for Delhi Capitals throughout the season and played an important role in taking the team to the playoffs. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Andy Flower said, 'We rate Venky (Venkatesh Iyer) very highly, that's why we worked so hard for him. It was because we wanted to value a strong Indian core in our team. We wanted some exciting young cricketers and a left-hander in the top order. We didn't get that. I think if he had played for us, he would have had a really great season.' The kind of performance Venkatesh Iyer has given, it seems that Kolkata Knight Riders will release him. Even if they buy him again at a lower price in the auction.
NDTV
4 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
RCB Head Coach Gives Reason For Going "So Hard" For Venkatesh Iyer At IPL 2025 Auction
Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower has opened up on the franchise's decision of going all out for all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer at the IPL 2025 auction held in November last year. Kolkata Knight Riders bagged the service of the player at a mammoth sum of Rs 23.75 crore. The amount itself explains that the buy was a tough one for KKR as other franchises too went behind the all-rounder, with RCB being one of them. While RCB went even over 20 crore for the player, KKR's final bid of Rs 23.75 crore proved to be the winner eventually. After the Rajat Patidar-led side clinched its first-ever IPL title, its head coach Flower revealed what was going behind the franchise's mind while bidding for Venkatesh Iyer. He was a big flop for KKR in IPL 2025. The all-rounder scored 142 runs in 11 matches and didn't get an opportunity to bowl. "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," Flower said after RCB's title win in Ahmedabad. Former Zimbabwe cricketer and multi-time trophy-winning coach Flower added perhaps the biggest trophy of his franchise cricket coaching career as he helped RCB lift their maiden IPL title after defeating Punjab Kings by six runs in a thrilling final at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on June 3. After ending as Zimbabwe's top run-getter in international cricket with 11,580 runs with 16 centuries during his playing days from 1992-2003, Flower has earned as much success as a coach, guiding top-class Australia and England sides and several T20 teams to championship glory. As England's team director in the late 2000s to early 2010s, he secured an Ashes series win by 2-1 at home and the Three Lions' first-ever major world title, the ICC T20 World Cup 2010 under the captaincy of Paul Collingwood. Two more Ashes series win in 2010-11 (a historic 3-1 drubbing of Australia in their own territory) and in 2013 (by 3-0 at home) followed. In the third edition of Abu Dhabi T10 back in 2019, he guided Maratha Arabians to the title, with experienced T20 campaigner and West Indies icon Dwayne Bravo at the helm of things on the field. The decade of the 2020s brought Andy massive success, as he teamed up with Pakistan's star batter Mohammed Rizwan to seal Multan Sultans' first-ever Pakistan Super League (PSL) title, beating Wahab Riaz-led Peshawar Zalmi by 47 runs in the final. Even adapting to the format of The Hundred competition in the UK did not affect Flower much tactically as he took Lewis Gregory led Trent Rockets to glory, beating Manchester Originals in a close title clash in 2022. After some franchise cricket success, a Pat Cummins-led Australia decided to rope in Flower as an assistant coach leading up to the ICC World Test Championship final against India. Australia brought home the Test mace, completing world title wins in all formats and also retained the Ashes after a 2-2 draw in the UK. He was also the part of the coaching staff which travelled to India for the 2023 World Cup and came back home with the sixth title, making his association with Aussies as his most accomplished one, with trophies in both major formats of cricket, Tests and ODIs. Following this win, he took part in the 2023 International League T20 season in the UAE, securing the title with the Gulf Giants under the captaincy of England international James Vince. Now, finally, Flower, 'the man of firsts' for many teams, ended RCB's quest for the maiden IPL title. Several superstars of the game, like Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David, Phil Salt, etc., came together to fulfill this dream. Listen to the latest songs, only on
