After acquiring renowned all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for INR 7 crore in the IPL 2026 mini-auction, former South African captain AB de Villiers thinks Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) did a fantastic job. The Madhya Pradesh cricket player didn’t live up to his INR 23.75 crore price tag in the 2025 Indian Premier League, thus the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released him before the auction. According to De Villiers, RCB received his services at a reduced cost.
The 41-year-old also gave the RCB think tank high marks for some of its other acquisitions, such as Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, and Jordan Cox. But according to the cricketer-turned-expert, RCB lost a trick by failing to add a leg-spinner to their lineup.
“Neither a panic nor a surprise occurred at the sale. There’s a reason they are the reigning champs, and you don’t want to alter the formula for success. Jordan Cox is a wise acquisition. A sort of backup. I’m not sure how much he will play, but he’s a really gifted kid. He posted on his YouTube channel, “They got him at a very big discount.”
The major addition is Venkatesh Iyer.
“Mangesh Yadav is the primary one I wish to discuss. Perhaps Yash Dayal will be more than just a backup. Jacob Duffy was also a good substitute for Hazlewood. It is a team that wins championships. Perhaps a tad weak in terms of X factor spin. Another wrist-spinner would have been wonderful. However, I think RCB has a chance to win the championship again,” he continued.
After defeating Punjab Kings (PBKS) in an exciting final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad last season, RCB broke their title drought.
Regarding Venkatesh Iyer signing, it will be intriguing to see the 30-year-old’s batting performance in the forthcoming campaign. For KKR, he batted in the top order. He began batting lower in the order at numbers five and six during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, though, before taking the field in Madhya Pradesh’s final three games of the season.
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