Whether I receive 23 crore or 20 lakh, my effort is the same: Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer, the vice captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, recovered admirably after a run of poor performances to begin the 2025 Indian Premier League. The southpaw led his team to an 80-run victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens after smashing 60 off only 29 balls.

Venkatesh Iyer has had a wild ride after being purchased for an incredible INR 23.75 crore at the super auction, the third-highest purchase of the season. The all-rounder was released following KKR’s 2024 championship campaign, and the team made a bold move to re-acquire him, outbidding many bidders. Iyer has developed into more than simply a middle-order batsman and is being viewed as a future leader thanks to additional leadership responsibilities under new captain Ajinkya Rahane. The tall, lanky all-rounder talked about how he handles the rumours and expectations surrounding his price.

Since I’m a realistic person, I’m not totally disregarding it. I am aware that there is pressure and that the pricing and other issues are discussed a lot. Nevertheless, I have no control over that. Whether I get paid ₹20 lakh or ₹23 crore, I have no control over the amount of effort I put forward to assist the team win. My only goal once the tournament starts is to help in every way I can, not only with the bat and ball but also in my new leadership position. On JioHotstar’s special show “Gen Bold,” he stated exclusively, “Everything else will take care of itself.”

I take a slightly more dynamic approach to captaincy: Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer persevered and worked on the technique in spite of his first discouraging scores of 3 and 6 in his first two games. Kolkata’s total surpassed 200 thanks to his innings against SRH, which included 20 runs off Pat Cummins in the penultimate over. The 30-year-old talked candidly about his relationship with Rahane, the captain.

Every captain, in my opinion, approaches the game differently. Someone like Ajinkya, who I believe is incredibly calm and controlled under pressure, is on our team. My approach to captaincy is a little more dynamic, and that’s what makes cricket so great: individuals with all backgrounds and perspectives come together to support the team. Ajinkya has already made the effort to talk to the players, and I’ve been talking to him frequently about the team, including off-field tactics as well as on-field tactics. “I’m thrilled to be playing under him,” he continued.

Notably, with the exception of 2022, Venkatesh Iyer has scored 350 runs in each season since making his IPL debut in 2021. With a high price tag this time, the team is expecting the all-rounder to help them protect their crown.