'It hasn’t come as a surprise that I was released by KKR' - Venkatesh Iyer [Exclusive]

Venkatesh Iyerwas one of Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) star performers in the 2021 and 2024 editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), when they finished runners-up and champions, respectively. The three-time

champions acquired his services for INR 23.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega-auction. However, the southpaw had a disappointing season, scoring just 142 runs in 11 matches, averaging 20.29.

On November 15, Iyer was one of the nine players released by the Kolkata-based franchise. The Indore-born recently joined CricTracker for an exclusive interview, where he said that he wasn't surprised when he wasn't retained by KKR. However, he mentioned that he has been in touch with the KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar, who is also his personal coach.

Iyer also said that he was happy for his parents after he earned a contract worth INR 23.75 crore. He revealed that his parents had to face a lot of criticism for supporting him when he chose cricket as a career despite being good in academics.

Q) You have been released by KKR ahead of the mini-auction. Have you received any message from the KKR team management before the release?

Yes, I’ve been in conversation with KKR. To be honest, it hasn’t come as a surprise that I was released. But, yes, I am still in touch with Abhishek Nayar, who happens to be my coach as well. Looking forward to the auction. Let’s see what happens.

Q) You have been part of KKR for five seasons now. Have you received any interest from other franchises over the years?

Not that I know of. I have given my everything to KKR. I have always maintained that I want to play for KKR throughout my career. Friends do keep talking to me. Last year, the way RCB went for me, there was interest, but nothing that I clearly knew of.

Q) How did life change after the INR 23.75 crore bid from KKR at the IPL 2025 mega auction?

Well, yes, it looks like a very big amount. Obviously, I am very grateful that I got such a big amount. But as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. That's a lot of money that we are talking about. So, I was aware of the fact that there will be a lot of responsibility on me. But yes, who's not happy when they receive such kind of money and recognition?

More than that, I was delighted for my family who put in so much work for me, so many hard yards, so much sacrifice. You know, my parents had to face constant criticism from their families because I was very bright in my academics. So, why cricket? Why did you choose the game? So obviously, when you fetch such a big amount, they also feel a little relief in terms of what decision we took was correct. So yes, life did change substantially after that bid.

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