From 9 lakh to 23.75 crore: For Venkatesh Iyer, it paid to play cricket

Dinesh Sharma, who looks after cricket coaching at the renowned Maharaja Yashwantrao Cricket Club in Indore that had seen the likes of Col CK Nayudu and Syed Mushtaq Ali play for it, recalls the day when Venkatesh Iyer’s mother came to convince him to let her boy focus on his management career.

“His is a family focussed on education. They hail from Chennai, and are more into academics. His cousins are settled, as Chartered Accountants and into other professions. Venkatesh had completed his MBA and started a job with a Rs 9 lakh package thanks to on-campus placement at IMS (Institute of Management Studies, Devi Ahilya University). He was in his early 20s then. Naturally the mother was worried and wanted the boy to focus on his management career,” says Sharma on the day his ward got picked for Rs 23.75 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the IPL Auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Venkatesh Iyer was not retained for the IPL 2025 season as he wanted a higher price which the KKR didn’t want to give. The top-order batsman had been a performer for the Kolkata franchise over the last four seasons. Last year, he racked up 370 runs at an average of 46.25. He had been retained for Rs 8 crore prior to this. It was probably his right to demand more.

KKR, it seems, didn’t want to let him go and paid the Rs 23.75 crore on Sunday, the first day of the two-day auction in the Saudi coastal city. His value can guaged by the fact that he averages 78 in the IPL Playoffs. 

“Venkatesh once brought his mother to me so that I could convince her to let him focus on cricket. She was reluctant, said ‘he has to work, he is 22’. But I told her that he has the talent and can even play IPL.

“I told her he has played for Madhya Pradesh [in BCCI tournaments] and if nothing, can become a coach or be connected with the sport in any other capacity.”

The mother relented.   

Late start to cricket

Venkatesh Iyer was 18-19 when he first came under the guardianship of Sharma.

He used to play local club cricket in Indore and was initially a wicketkeeper-batsman.

“He came in touch with me in 2013-14. He started very late. He had height and power which was natural. Would hit longer hits. I realised he can become a player. Although he was hitting big, he’d get only small scores. I told his mother to send him to my club.”

Two years later, in December 2015, he played an innings of 198 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Iyer, however, was to become one of those players who’d become a household name through IPL.

In the IPL 2021, he didn’t play a single game in the initial part that was held in India. However, when the IPL 2021 resumed in UAE a few months later after Covid had stopped it in India, Iyer caught everyone’s eye with exceptional batting.

He shone in the first match there and ended his first IPL season with 370 runs in 10 matches and an average of 41.11.

His performance dipped in 2022 but then he amassed 404 and 370 runs over the next two IPL seasons, 2023 and 2024 respectively.

“He is not sound on technique but one thing he has is hand-eye coordination. That is what makes him a dangerous batsman,” adds Sharma.

Tags : Venkatesh Iyer, IPL Auction, Kolkata Knight Riders, KKR, Jeddah, BCCI, MBA