Venkatesh Iyer becomes third most expensive player at Rs 23.75 crore in IPL 2025 Mega Auction

New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh all-rounder, Venkatesh Iyer was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 23.75 crore, in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. Earlier, KKR released him before the auction.

Iyer, who was palced in Set 4 of capped all-rounders, went over 11 times his base price of Rs 2 crore after KKR and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) got engaged in an intense bidding war.

KKR, having retained six players and exhausted their RTM options, had to pay a premium to reacquire Shreyas Iyer, who debuted with the franchise in 2021.

In 2023, Venkatesh Iyer became only the second KKR batter, after Brendon McCullum, to score an IPL century. He also played a crucial role in KKR’s IPL 2024 final victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, scoring an unbeaten 52 to help chase down 114 runs comfortably.

Shreyas Iyer’s stint with the Indian T20I team was brief during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, as the national side sought alternatives in Hardik Pandya’s absence. Iyer featured in nine T20Is and two ODIs, amassing 157 runs and taking five wickets.