In the RCB team’s roster at the 2025 IPL mega auction was Josh Hazlewood, who took the maximum number of wickets for them in the season and was the most expensive pick at Rs 12.50 crore. Though people criticized RCB’s auction choices, they are now being praised for the same, especially after winning the IPL title. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought Venkatesh Iyer again for Rs 23.75 crore, yet he did not reach the expectations. Nevertheless, RCB head coach Andy Flower thinks that Venkatesh could have given a better performance if they had signed him.
“We really rated Venky (highly), that’s why we went so hard for him. It was because we valued having a strong Indian core to our team. We wanted some exciting young cricketers and a left-hander in the top order. We didn’t get him. I would like to think if he played for us, he would have had a really great season,” Flower said in the post-match press conference on June 3 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
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𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫🎙️: " We really rated Venky, that's why we went hard for him bcoz we valued having a strong Indian core to our team. If he came and played for us, he would have had a really great season…"#RCB #IPL2025 #PlayBold pic.twitter.com/wlAb3eiylI
---Advertisement---— ᴅᴋ (@coach_dk19) June 5, 2025
Venkatesh’s Performance in the IPL 2025
KKR’s vice-captain did not perform well at all this year. During the seven games, he batted out 142 runs with an average of 20.29. Most of his runs in the IPL came against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The other impressive innings of 29-ball 45 was scored in a loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) when KKR played at home. When he came to bat at a middle position, he had a strike rate of 139.21. He didn’t participate in any of the matches when IPL 2025 restarted after a one-week break due to a hand injury. It is a question of whether KKR wants to hold on to him. If the left-handed player is released by KKR, RCB can try to get him again in the mini auction.
Venkatesh’s Replacement
Even though Devdutt Padikkal was not snapped up in the first round, the Royal Challengers selected him. His base price was Rs 2 crore and that is what his team paid for him. Over 10 innings of play, he managed to score 247 runs for an average of 27.44 and notched two half-centuries. His strike rate was 150.60.
But a hamstring injury prevented him from playing in the late stages of IPL 2025. For Rs 1 crore, Mayank Agarwal took over Padikkal’s place. Agarwal took part in four matches, such as Qualifier 1 and the final.
