Venkatesh Iyer emerged as the biggest surprise package of the IPL 2025 auction on Day 1 in Jeddah, as he was acquired by his former team, Kolkata Knight Riders, for 23.75 crore. KKR paid Rs 23.75 crore for the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder.
With the base price of Rs. 2 crore, Iyer was expected to sell for a decent price, but no one could have predicted the incredible heights his auction would reach. KKR, the squad he helped lead to success the previous season, kicked off the bidding.
Lucknow Super Giants swiftly jumped in, attempting to steal Iyer from KKR. The bidding rapidly increased, with LSG driving the price to Rs 6 crore. However, they backed out after KKR boosted their bid to Rs 7.75 crore.
But when it appeared that Iyer was returning to KKR, RCB entered the competition. A furious bidding battle broke out between KKR and RCB, with the price skyrocketing over Rs 12 and 14 crore, and continuing to rise.
Paddles were raised quickly as the two franchises showed no indications of giving up. The bid reached 18 crore, then 19 crore, with KKR briefly in the lead at 19.25 crore. KKR increased their bid to 20.75 crore, but RCB was still not satisfied. The struggle lasted till the price reached an amazing 23.75 crore when KKR claimed the services of their former all-rounder.
Iyer played a crucial part in KKR’s success in 2024 where he batted with a strike rate of 137.64 and scored 370 runs in 14 matches with an average of 46.25.
He made his KKR debut in 2021 and made immediate impact with a productive season, amassing 370 runs in just 10 matches at an average of 41.11. His performances with the bat and ball won him a place in the Indian national team for both T20Is and ODIs. Throughout his IPL career, Iyer scored 1,326 runs in 50 matches at an average of 31.57, including one century and 11 half-centuries, with the best score of 104.
