'Sometimes my lecture will also work' - Venkatesh Iyer reveals intriguing conversation with Shah Rukh Khan during IPL [Exclusive]

Venkatesh Iyer burst onto the scene with his stunning performances with the bat for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during IPL 2021. He helped the Eoin Morgan-led side to the finals, scoring 370 runs in 10

matches at an average of 41.11. During KKR's triumphant campaign in 2024, the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder scored half-centuries in Qualifier 1 and the final.

The southpaw was roped in by KKR at the IPL 2025 mega-auction last year for a whopping INR 23.75 crore. However, he failed to justify the price tag, scoring just 142 runs in 11 matches at an average of 20.29. Iyer was released by KKR on November 15, ahead of next month's mini-auction.

During an exclusive interview with CricTracker, Iyer revealed an interesting conversation he had once had with KKR's co-owner Shah Rukh Khan. The legendary actor had shared with Iyer details of his journey to becoming the superstar that he is now. The 30-year-old said that Shah Rukh wanted to change his perspective about the game.

Iyer recalled that he had won the Player of the Match award against the Mumbai Indians in the subsequent game.

Apart from this, Iyer also explained how the entire team, the management, and support staff worked as a unit and helped KKR win their third title in 2024. He also mentioned some of the reasons why KKR couldn't replicate the success in 2025, when they finished eighth.

Check out excerpts from the exclusive interview:

Q) One unheard incident involving you and KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan, if you can disclose it to our fans?

I remember this game where I got some 25 not out, we won against Delhi, then he wanted to speak with me, and we did not speak about cricket. We had a general conversation about life. What challenges he faced as an actor from where he was to become the superstar that he is. General topics and he thought that such a conversation would bring about a change in how I look at the game. And the next game, I happened to be the man of the match against Mumbai. After that, he stood up on a chair and then he gave me a hug. And he told me, sometimes my lecture will also work. So that is something that I will never forget.

Q) Do you think Gautam Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer were the key reasons behind the franchise’s success in IPL 2024?

Well, I think when a team wins, it's a collective effort. Everyone contributes to the team's victory. But yeah, with Gautam Gambhir sir, he brought a certain aura to the team. There was a win-at-any-cost mentality, which I feel is very important when it comes to competitive cricket. So I think his presence was of utmost importance. And I really loved playing with Shreyas, the way he carries himself as a captain. He has that inherent leadership in him that makes him such a great character to play with. And yes, they were key aspects to us winning the IPL. But so were all the other players. So was our head coach Chandu Pandit sir. So was Abhishek Nayar sir. So was the management that backed us. So was Varun Chakravorty, Russell, Narine. Even Ramandeep Singh, who got just 120 runs. But those 120 runs were so impactful. I think it was a collective team effort that KKR won.

Q) What went wrong for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025 after entering the season as the defending champions?

I think we played some good cricket. Obviously, there were a few results that should have gone our way. We were very unlucky in terms of that. There were 2-3 games that we should have won easily. But we did not. It was a very strange season in those terms. You expect any team in the IPL to chase 111 in 20 overs. Unfortunately, we couldn't. There was a game against LSG where we needed just 60-odd runs in 7 overs. I was batting on 45. Russell had just walked in. Rinku was yet to bat.

So, I think we should have easily won that game. And then again, against Chennai, we had them 5 or 6 down in the powerplay itself. And they went on to chase 190 or something. So, I think it was a very strange season. But that does not take away from the fact that we played some good cricket. There were a lot of positives heading into this. We could unearth someone like Angkrish Raghuvanshi. For me, he was a find for us. So, I can't put my finger on one thing that went wrong. Unfortunately, we were not able to get our execution of the plans intact. It was a very strange season in those terms. But yes, lots of learning from that season.