Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Venkatesh Iyer were one of the biggest names to be released on the retention deadline day (November 15) ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) auction on December 16. Roped in for a staggering INR 23.75 crores at the mega-auction last time around, the Madhya Pradesh cricketer, failed to live up to the lofty price tag and subsequently faced the axe.
With the 30-year-old now set to enter the auction in the hope of a new destination, Venkatesh Iyer opened up on the team he wants to join next. Interestingly, it turns out that despite being released, Venkatesh still wants to represent the three-time champions if the opportunity comes his way.
Speaking to Crictracker, the dynamic left-hander batter revealed, “For players like us, it’s the opportunity to play in the IPL. It doesn’t matter which team I play for. I will put my best foot forward. If I have to ask my heart, I would still want to play for KKR. I won one championship with KKR. I want to continue the legacy. I want to bring more glory to KKR. Because they have shown so much faith in me.”
Notably, Venkatesh made his IPL debut with KKR back in IPL 2021 and had been with them for five consecutive seasons.
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The KKR star who played a key role in the franchise’s third title win in IPL 2024, failed to replicate last season. In 2024, he managed 370 runs in 13 innings, at a stellar average of 46.25 and a fiery strike rate of 158.79, while racking up four fifties too.
In comparison in IPL 2025, Venkatesh Iyer scored just 142 runs at a subpar average of 20.28 while his strike rate also went down below 140 with a solitary half-century to his name.
Although Venkatesh couldn’t deliver the goods last time around, he is a player of tremendous potential and has enough experience of playing in the IPL, which makes him a valuable asset in the IPL 2026 auction.
Although KKR released him, there still remains a chance that they might bring him back like they did at the IPL 2025 auction, albeit at a cheaper price.
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