He played a match-winning knock in the final last year but he was released by KKR ahead of the auction.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have shown unwavering loyalty towards Venkatesh Iyer since his debut in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. However, ahead of the mega auction, the franchise made a surprising move by releasing the all-rounder and choosing not to use the RTM card to retain him. In a dramatic turn of events, KKR engaged in an intense bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) during the auction and ultimately re-signed Venkatesh for a staggering INR 23.75 crore. Looking back on his time with the defending champions, Venkatesh shared his thoughts in an interview while playing for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy earlier this year.
In his short IPL career of four seasons, Venkatesh has already been part of two finals – in 2021 vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and 2024 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). During both games, the southpaw returned with crucial fifties at the top order. In 2021, he smashed CSK bowlers at a strike rate of over 155, albeit, in a losing cause. However, against SRH, he struck at 200 and remained not out to hit the winning runs.
When asked about taking risks and its importance in the long run, Venkatesh credited former KKR mentor, Gautam Gambhir for training him to take risks.
“It’s a very good question. It’s a question I keep asking my coaches: why do I have to take that risk? You have to practise a certain shot so many times that when pressure comes, it’s not risk anymore. Gauti sir is very big on asking his players to practise those high-risk shots so that when the pressure is on you, you don’t feel the risk anymore, it just comes naturally to you. I feel more than the score and more than the risk, especially in the 2024 final, my intention was to show everyone the way KKR had been playing throughout the tournament. Yes, the target was just 113, but I did not want to finish the game in the 17th or 18th over because, (a) I did not want the tension or the stress, just wanted the game to be over quickly, and (b) this is the way that KKR batted throughout the tournament irrespective of the target, irrespective of batting first or second”, Venkatesh expressed.
THE ONLY PLAYER IN #TATAIPL HISTORY TO SCORE 4 CONSECUTIVE 50s IN THE PLAYOFFS – VENKATESH IYER.
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) May 26, 2024
ACKNOWLEDGE THE CLUTCH CHIEF! ☝ pic.twitter.com/8bDan80DTw
He also spoke about his the approach has changed over the years and how he wants the fans to remember KKR.
He added, “It’s a tactical approach towards the game, but this is how we played. This is how we wanted to entertain the crowd and that should not change even if the target is just 113. Honestly, it would have been very easy for me to just take singles, get a 40 off 30 balls and end the game. But that’s not how KKR played and that’s not how KKR will play. We have played a brand of cricket that is entertaining, and we stick to it irrespective of the target.”
After his special knocks of 50 off 32 (vs CSK) and 52 off 26 (vs SRH), the 30-year-old has established himself as a fearless opener for the franchise as well as in his domestic circle. Venkatesh gives credit to KKR and Madhya Pradesh coach, Chandrakant Pandit for boosting his optimism and encouragement.
He feels, “As in life, fear of failure is always there. But the hope for success is higher, so why not give it a try? And the credit has to go to the (KKR) management on how they handled me – GG sir, Abhishek Nayar, and especially Chandu sir, for the way he talks to me. I bat like this in the Ranji Trophy as well and in (domestic) 50-overs matches. I like to take those risks. But yes, for a coach to explain when to take the risk, how to take it, and if the risk is correct or not at a particular period of time, that requires a lot of attention, and I feel Chandu sir has (done) that.”
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Venkatesh recalled a particular knock from the last IPL season that proved to be a turning point for him, boosting his confidence immensely.
“The fear of failure has been there. Suddenly if you don’t get runs in two innings, there will be a lot of scrutiny, a lot of criticism. But I feel the turning point in this year’s (2024) IPL for me was the game against RCB at Eden Gardens. I was batting decently, but I was not getting a lot of runs. In that game I got only 16 off eight balls. It’s not a massive contribution but that innings gave me a lot of confidence. It changed something inside me and that fear went away. All that I was looking forward [to] was to hit the ball again, and it’s amazing what one innings can do to your confidence. No one remembers it. I remember it vividly because of the way I was hitting the ball that day. And that is what you need in a tournament like IPL. That is what you need in the middle of a domestic tournament, that one innings where you have hit the ball amazingly well and that brings the confidence”, he shared.
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