Latest news with #VenkateshIyer
NDTV
6 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Rs 23.75 Crore Star To Be Released Or Traded? KKR Batter Finally Breaks Silence
Kolkata Knight Riders batter Venkatesh Iyer finally broke his silence on reports of a possible trade to Sunrisers Hyderabad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Venkatesh found himself in the headlines after he was picked for a mammoth Rs 23.75 crore by KKR in the IPL 2025 auction. The huge price tag was the result of a heated bidding war between KKR and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, a disappointing show in the competition resulted in massive criticism from both fans as well as experts. Reports soon surfaced about KKR possibly releasing him or a trade move to some other franchise but Venkatesh had a clear answer about the reports and speculations. "I have got absolutely no clue. There has been nothing at all from the KKR management also," Venkatesh told Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview. The criticism became a constant for the cricketer during IPL 2025 as he finished the season with just 142 runs. The price tag did not help as social media was flooded with memes and comments about his performance. However, he revealed how he coped with it all during the competition. "People who had these questions are not even on my contact list. So why do I have to even think about what they are thinking? It's my life, my game, my career. And it's my team that has chosen to spend so much on me. So these things don't phase me. See, for a boy who wanted to just play IPL cricket, even ₹20 lakh would sometimes feel like a significant amount. And over the years, this is what I've learnt. Not just me, but all the cricketers have learnt this: there are a lot of eyes on you, but it's important to know what to pay heed to. People who have had a direct impact on my life, I am answerable to only them."
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First Post
7 days ago
- Business
- First Post
'It's my life, my career': INR 23.75 crore KKR star makes bold statement after facing flak for not justifying price tag
Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer frequently faces flak over not justifying the Rs. 23.75 crore price tag at which he was retained by the IPL franchise in the mega auction of IPL 2025. Iyer, who emerged as the breakout star of the league in 2021, when he singlehandedly inspired KKR to reach the final, has had ups and downs in his performance since then. He had a quiet 2025 season, which led to naysayers questioning his cost-benefit ratio. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, the player does not get affected by the opinions of detractors and made it known that those who question him are not even in his contact list, a parameter he seemingly refers before judging whether someone's opinion holds any importance to him or not. 'People who had these questions are not even on my contact list. So why do I have to even think about what they are thinking?' Venkatesh Iyer told Sportskeeda. 'It's my life, my game, my career. And it's my team that has chosen to spend so much on me. So these things don't faze me. See, for a boy who wanted to just play IPL cricket, even ₹20 lakh would sometimes feel like a significant amount. And over the years, this is what I've learnt. Not just me, but all the cricketers have learnt this: there are a lot of eyes on you, but it's important to know what to pay heed to. People who have had a direct impact on my life, I am answerable to only them,' he said. KKR management still holds faith in Iyer As KKR struggled to pull off victories in the IPL 2025, Venkatesh Iyer had to bear the brunt of it because of his price tag and was even dropped from the side on a couple of occasions. He featured in 11 games in the eighteenth edition of the Indian Premier League and was able to register just 142 runs. Despite the form dwindle, the MP all-rounder insists that the KKR management still trusts him. Moreover, he reveals that KKR CEO Venky Mysore did his best to not let him get affected by the whopping price attached with him. 'It's not about just the money, it's about where I fit in their scheme of things. Venky sir once told me something, which I felt made a lot of sense. He said, 'At the end of the day, you are given 120 units to build a team. Once the team is built, it doesn't matter how many units you have spent on what. It is a team that has been made now, that's it,' he added. Iyer focuses on the positives he was able attain from IPL 2025 While it was a torrid season for KKR, who started the campaign as the defending champions but ended up finishing 8th this time, Iyer was able to extract some positives out of it. 'Yeah, I have taken the learnings, taken the positives, and whatever mistakes happened. But yeah, there were a lot of things that have come up that I feel hindered my performance. But all in all, good one or bad one, winning the trophy or not winning it, scoring 600-700 runs, that and all is different. It was a season full of learning, and that is what is constant.' He concluded. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
News18
7 days ago
- Sport
- News18
'My Life, My Career': IPL's Rs 23.75 Crore Star Snubs Critics Not On His 'Contact List'
Last Updated: After an underwhelming IPL season, Venkatesh Iyer critics will continue to have their say and he has learned to focus only on those who have a direct impact on his life. For Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2025 was a forgettable affair. They started the season as the defending champions and finished eighth in the standings – failing to even qualify for the playoffs. KKR's critics had already sharpening their knives well ahead of the start of the campaign given the franchise had released their title-winning skipper Shreyas Iyer ahead of the mega auction who was then signed by their rivals for a jawdropping amount and he led them to a runners-up finish. Additionally, KKR splurged a whopping Rs 23.75 crore to re-sign Venkatesh Iyer – an allrounder who was part of their roster in IPL 2024. Iyer's amount was the third-highest of the two-day IPL mega auction after Rishabh Pant and Shreys Iyer. Naturally, he was the center of attention during the season as the astronomical sum that KKR shelled out to ensure he remained within their fold had to be justified. Like KKR, Iyer too had an underwhelming season. He mustered 142 runs from seven innings and didn't bowl in any of the 11 games he was part of. Every time, he failed with the bat, the price-tag became a talking point. However, the 30-year-old has no time for the critics of his hefty price-tag and choses to pay attention to only those who have a direct impact on his life. 'People who had these questions are not even on my contact list," Iyer told Sportskeeda. 'So why do I have to even think about what they are thinking? It's my life, my game, my career. And it's my team that has chosen to spend so much on me. So these things don't phase me. See, for a boy who wanted to just play IPL cricket, even ₹20 lakh would sometimes feel like a significant amount. And over the years, this is what I've learnt. Not just me, but all the cricketers have learnt this: there are a lot of eyes on you, but it's important to know what to pay heed to." 'People who have had a direct impact on my life, I am answerable to only them," he adds. Iyer though doesn't feel that one should just simply ignore the criticism coming there way. 'A lot of people have opinions – good and bad. But I only take opinions from people who directly impact me. And of course, legends were talking in analysis. And not paying heed to them is not correct, but you should understand where they are coming from. It is important to understand the fact that it's me who's battling in that situation. So it is tough to deal with those opinions when things don't go your way," he said. Iyer, who has 1468 runs from 62 IPL matches including a century and 12 fifties, says the legends of the game who have been criticial of his performances have been nothing but helpful. 'I am sure all these legends must have gone through a similar phase. And they understand as well. When I met these people, they were extremely kind enough to tell me what was going wrong and how to kind of negate all those things. I do take the learnings and not the critics part of it," he said. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
14-08-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
India's INR 23.75 crore star deletes people from contact list after disastrous IPL: ‘It's my life, my game, my career'
For the large part of IPL 2025, wherever Venkatesh Iyer went, the discussion around his price tag followed. And most of that was negative. Right from the moment the hammer went down in the Kolkata Knight Riders' favour for Venkatesh Iyer in the mega auction, eyes questioning the move of shelling out a whopping ₹23.75 crores have been relentless. It's a staggering amount. It would have easily become the highest bid in most other IPL auctions -- it was the third costliest behind Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer this year. Venkatesh Iyer (centre) celebrates with India cricketers(ANI) The added masala in the story was the fact that KKR, the defending champions, did not hold their trophy-winning Shreyas Iyer and only bid for him till ₹10 crore in the auctions. Did they want Venkatesh Iyer as captain? It was widely discussed on social media, and the scrutiny was so intense that it started weighing Venkatesh down. The left-handed batter, who made an impact in the second half of IPL 2021, got off to a torrid start in IPL 2025. As runs dried up from his bat, the weight of his price tag became unbearable, not because of the management or self-doubts but because of the constant outside noise. It reached a point where Venkatesh Iyer had to delete some people from his contact list. "People who had these questions are not even on my contact list. So why do I have to even think about what they are thinking?" Venkatesh Iyer, who last represented India in February 2022, told Sportskeeda when asked about the criticism he faced during the last IPL because of his price tag. Vebkatesh scored just 142 runs in 11 matches this year at a strike rate of 139. Apart from a match-winning 60, he did not have much to show. The presence of the Impact Player rule meant there was no need for KKR to use his bowling on a regular basis. But the lanky all-rounder is not bothered about the negativity being spread about his price tag. It's my life, my game, my career. And it's my team that has chosen to spend so much on me. So these things don't phase me. See, for a boy who wanted to just play IPL cricket, even ₹20 lakh would sometimes feel like a significant amount. And over the years, this is what I've learnt. Not just me, but all the cricketers have learnt this: there are a lot of eyes on you, but it's important to know what to pay heed to. People who have had a direct impact on my life, I am answerable to only them," he said. Venkatesh Iyer was dropped from the XI for a couple of games during IPL 2025, but the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder insists that the KKR management never lost faith in him. In fact, KKR CEO Venky Mysore did his best to play down the ₹23.75 price. "It's not about just the money, it's about where I fit in their scheme of things. Venky sir once told me something, which I felt made a lot of sense. He said, 'At the end of the day, you are given 120 units to build a team. Once the team is built, it doesn't matter how many units you have spent on what. It is a team that has been made now, that's it," he added. When asked about his takeaways from the last season where KKR could not make it to the playoffs, Venkatesh said: "Yeah, I have taken the learnings, taken the positives, and whatever mistakes happened. But yeah, there were a lot of things that have come up that I feel hindered my performance. But all in all, good one or bad one, winning the trophy or not winning it, scoring 600-700 runs, that and all is different. It was a season full of learnings, and that is what is constant."
India.com
13-08-2025
- Sport
- India.com
Those People Are Not Even On My Contact List : Venkatesh Iyer Reacts On KKRs 23.75 Cr Tag Amidst Trade Rumours
Venkatesh Iyer's IPL 2025 season with Kolkata Knight Riders was dismal by his standards. Purchased for a record ₹23.75 crore, he faced intense public scrutiny and constant comparisons between his price tag and returns, even while battling a painful webbing injury. He scored 142 runs in 11 games at n average of 20.29. Despite the noise, Iyer insists his preparation and effort remain the same, regardless of the money involved. A selfless team player, he often shifted batting positions and even played through injury in the Ranji Trophy to help his skipper. He believes 'impact' matters more than raw statistics, with contributions under pressure carrying special value. Eyeing a return to the Indian team, he aims to rebuild his bowling workload, though he feels the Impact Player rule has limited his IPL growth. 'What I have taken back from this season is the fact that performance under pressure requires a special skillset,' said Venkatesh Iyer in a conversation with Sportskeeda after what he admits was an underwhelming IPL 2025 campaign. A Team Player Through and Through KKR had also envisioned leadership qualities in Iyer someone who embodies the spirit of a team man. The left-hander has repeatedly sacrificed personal milestones, shuffling up and down the batting order based on match situations. 'If Varun can make a comeback, I can also definitely do it he said recently, referencing teammate Varun Chakravarthy's return. Auction Day and Coping With Price Tag Pressure On being asked about the day of the mega auction, Iyer recalls: 'After a point, I did not watch the auction [laughs]. When you are with your team, you tend to enjoy the moment. But yeah, I understood that if the amount is big, the ask is big, the responsibility is big. Responsibility is not just in terms of runs to be scored or wickets to be picked, it's about the role in the team and how you can create a bigger impact. So I did have that in mind. Also, with regard to my preparation, nothing changes. Be it ₹20 lakh or ₹20 crore, preparation won't change. You have to do double the hard work as the previous year, regardless of the money. That day was very hectic but, post that, things were kind of back to normal.' Many fans questioned the ₹23.75 crore figure, piling on unnecessary pressure. His response is simple: 'People who had these questions are not even on my contact list. So why do I have to even think about what they are thinking? It's my life, my game, my career. And it's my team that has chosen to spend so much on me. So these things don't phase me... there are a lot of eyes on you, but it's important to know what to pay heed to. People who have had a direct impact on my life, I am answerable to only them.' Support From KKR Management According to Iyer, KKR shielded him from much of the noise: 'They know the magnitude of it, obviously from experience... They have made a team, they wanted the team to do well, and I am part of a team. And it is my duty to do well for them. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. But my aim is always to try and win as many games as possible for KKR.' He also sees the price tag as recognition of his journey: 'I would like to think so. But it's not about just the money, it's about where I fit in their scheme of things. Venky sir once told me something, which I felt made a lot of sense. He said, 'At the end of the day, you are given 120 units to build a team. Once the team is built, it doesn't matter how many units you have spent on what. It is a team that has been made now, that's it.'
