What drives Venkatesh Iyer this IPL season

“He said that ‘the only thing I know is to bowl. I’ve been paid for that. So, I’m going to do that’," Iyer remembers Starc as saying, recollecting the Australian’s words as he finds himself in a similar predicament.

Ahead of the 2025 season of the IPL, KKR bid ₹23.75 crore for Iyer, the third highest price paid in these auctions after Rishabh Pant’s ₹27 crore (by Lucknow Super Giants) and ₹26.75 crore by Punjab Kings for Shreyas Iyer.

“We are all humans, live in a world where social media is predominant. I will have to learn to just deal with it," says Venkatesh about the expectations that come with the high valuation.

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“The simplest thing to do is to focus on my task. Once the tournament starts, it really won’t matter how much I’ve been paid. People, the social media will talk about you. That’s not under your control. The only thing in your control is to deliver for your side," says the 30-year-old.

While Venkatesh had made it clear to the KKR management that he wanted to stay in the side—he has played for the team since his IPL debut in 2021—he also understood why KKR could not retain him before the auctions held in November because of certain restrictions in the retention rules. KKR’s bidding war with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the all-rounder in the auctions was unexpected, even while considering that Venkatesh has a respectable average of more than 30 and a strike rate of nearly 140 over four seasons with the same team.

He realised that going back to a known franchise, where he knew his role in the team, would work to his advantage. “I was, at a point (during the auctions), not sure what exactly was going on," he says over a call. “But it goes to show how much KKR value their players.

The IPL Bounty

KKR first picked Venkatesh, a clean striker of the ball and useful bowler for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket, for ₹20 lakh in 2021. His valuation in four seasons increased by nearly 1,000%, one of those inexplicable calculations that the IPL periodically throws up. The oddity of that assessment is not lost on the cricketer, who has an MBA in finance and is pondering a doctorate from DAV, Indore, where he lives.

“It goes to show that my entire IPL career, whatever it is till now, has been some roller-coaster. I tasted a lot of success back in 2021 (370 runs at an average of over 40). Then 2022 (182 runs in 12 matches) gave me a reality check. But you just learn to adapt with different phases of your career," he says.

“But yeah, when it comes to the financials, it’s a big jump. I mean, it is huge. If you’re paid a certain amount, I feel you’ve done something to deserve it."

While the bounties of the IPL empower young cricketers, there is a school of thought that believes these riches erode the desire to play for the country. Venkatesh, who played two One Day Internationals for India against South Africa in 2022, disagrees, saying that the emotion of playing for the country remains unmatched.

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“Just talking about it is giving me goosebumps now," the left-handed batter says. “The moment you step on the field in an Indian jersey representing 1.4 billion people, that feeling is unmatchable. Till the time you are playing cricket, that hunger has to be there."

He says that having once been in the national team, the craving for a comeback grows further. Sunil Gavaskar has suggested that Venkatesh be considered for India’s forthcoming tour of England in the summer, though Nitish Kumar Reddy’s success in Australia earlier in the year makes the middle-order slot less available.

“I’m a big admirer of Nitish," admits Venkatesh. “I really like what he brings to the table. To see your colleagues getting back into the team, motivates us to brush our skills further," he adds, citing the example of Hardik Pandya. “If a certain individual can do it, then I can do it too."

Overs and Percentages

Venkatesh joined English county club Lancashire for the One Day Cup and two rounds of County Championship matches last August, relearning to contribute with the ball as well. An ankle injury in 2022-23 had set his bowling back by a bit and he has barely bowled in last two seasons of the IPL. But Venkatesh realises that he needs to be able to bowl his full quota in white ball cricket and 12-15 overs in a day in the longer format.

To that affect he is working on his fitness, with nutritionist Suraj Thakuria, and trainer Mayank Agrawal. “It’s important for players to have value addition to their skills every day, be it 0.01%, be it with the bat or ball. After a period of time, you will have a set of skills that will give you confidence to be a match-winner."

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Venkatesh would have had to deal with different kinds of figures and percentages had he chosen another career—with the accounting firm Deloitte, which was a possibility before he decided to focus fully on cricket in 2018. It’s a decision he does not regret.

“Life in a cubicle or cabin would have been so much different," he says, laughing over the call. “Sitting in the AC, wearing formals… I see a lot of people doing that. It looks like a lot of mental fatigue there. But I have no regrets. Whatever decision I make, I will back it to the core."

It was also a decision that went against the ethos of an orthodox south Indian family, in which academics was always a priority. But he sees the value of education for every sportsperson—beyond excellence in academics.

“It (studying) gives me a switch off from the game," he says. “We play under a lot of stressful circumstances. When you come back home, if you have something productive to do, I think mentally you’ll be free."

Arun Janardhan is a Mumbai-based journalist who covers sports, business leaders and lifestyle. He posts @iArunJ.

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