Venkatesh Iyer, an all-rounder, was one of four players retained by Kolkata Knight Riders, the two-time IPL champions (KKR). For the 2022 edition of the game, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise would pay the youngster a whopping sum of Rs 8 crore.
Given his performance in the IPL 2021 and the lack of genuine seam-bowling all-rounders in India’s domestic setup, it’s not unreasonable to believe that if he had gone to the auction pool, he could have fetched a higher price. Venkatesh Iyer, on the other hand, is content with KKR because he feels at ease with them.
Venkatesh credited his breakout season to the encouragement of the KKR staff, which resulted in his inclusion in India’s limited-overs team. During the just concluded three-match T20I series, Venkatesh received his first Indian call-up. He made his series debut in the first game, scoring four runs before getting struck out by Mitchell Santner.
In a video uploaded on Twitter by KKR, he added, “I am really glad to be back, KKR is the franchise that gave me my big break and introduced me to the world of cricket.”