Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer endured a tough outing on Monday in the Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture against Kerala. The left-hander walked out with familiar anticipation around his power-hitting
credentials. However, his innings ended almost as soon as it began. Iyer scored just eight runs before being run out by Krishna Prasad.
The dismissal was an outcome of huge mix-up with fellow batter Himanshu Mantri while pushing for a sharp single, leaving Iyer stranded short of his ground. Another early departure has added to the spotlight on the 30-year-old, who has been closely watched since a dramatic IPL auction phase.
At the IPL 2026 mini auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru bought Iyer for Rs 7 crore, marking a steep fall from the Rs 23.75 crore Kolkata Knight Riders had paid him the previous season. While the price correction has sparked debate, it has done little to dent opinions about his talent, even as questions linger over how RCB plan to use him.
After the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi, former India batting coach and JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar had praised Iyer’s consistency but acknowledged the difficulty of breaking into an established lineup.
“He has been consistent, and you can see his confidence,” Bangar said. “Will he be in the playing eleven right away? There is some doubt, as this is a settled team.”
Iyer had entered the auction with a base price of Rs 2 crore and drew early bids from Lucknow Super Giants before Gujarat Titans and former franchise KKR entered the fray. RCB eventually won the contest to bring him to Bengaluru.
In 56 IPL innings, Iyer has amassed 1,468 runs at an average of 29.12 and a strike rate exceeding 137, including one century and 12 half-centuries. His last IPL campaign, though, was a challenging one, as he managed only 142 runs in seven innings for KKR despite carrying a hefty valuation.
