Iyer scored 142 runs in 11 games for KKR in IPL 2025 with one fifty.
This made him the third costliest player in the IPL 2025 auction after Rishabh Pant (INR 27 Crores) and Shreyas Iyer (INR 26.75 Crores).
Iyer, who has 1468 runs in 62 IPL matches for KKR with one ton and 12 fifties, went on to have a horror tournament in IPL 2025. Venkatesh Iyer managed 142 runs in 11 games in IPL 2025, at an average of 20.28 and a strike rate of 139.21.
As his bar's runs dried up, the continual outside noise—rather than management or self-doubt—made the weight of his price tag intolerable.
"People who had these questions are not even on my contact list. So why do I have to even think about what they are thinking?" Venkatesh Iyer told Sportskeeda.
However, Iyer is not bothered about the negativity being spread about his price tag.
“It’s my life, my game, my career. And it’s my team that has chosen to spend so much on me. So these things don’t faze me. See, for a boy who wanted to just play IPL cricket, even ₹20 lakh would sometimes feel like a significant amount. And over the years, this is what I’ve learned. Not just me, but all the cricketers have learned this: there are a lot of eyes on you, but it’s important to know what to pay heed to. People who have had a direct impact on my life, I am answerable to only them," he said.
The all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh maintains that the KKR management has always shown faith in him. Venky Mysore, the CEO of KKR, actually tried his hardest to downplay the ₹23.75 pricing.
"It’s not about just the money; it’s about where I fit in their scheme of things. Venky sir once told me something, which I felt made a lot of sense. He said, “At the end of the day, you are given 120 units to build a team. Once the team is built, it doesn’t matter how many units you have spent on what. It is a team that has been made now; that’s it," he added.
When asked about his takeaways from the last season, where KKR could not make it to the playoffs, Venkatesh said, "Yeah, I have taken the learnings, taken the positives, and whatever mistakes happened. But yeah, there were a lot of things that have come up that I feel hindered my performance. But all in all, good one or bad one, winning the trophy or not winning it, scoring 600-700 runs, that and all is different. It was a season full of learnings, and that is what is constant."