The countdown to the 18th edition of the IPL has reached a crescendo, with champions Kolkata Knight Riders opening their title defence against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens on Saturday to set the ball rolling. Venkatesh Iyer, the vice-captain of the Knights, cannot wait to walk into the historic venue in front of 60,000-plus passionate fans.
“KKR and the city of Kolkata have given me everything,” said Venkatesh, while speaking to select media including Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net).
Venkatesh, whose staggering price tag of Rs 23.75 crores (€2.505 million) in the mega auction had been quite a talking point towards the end of last year. The seam-bowling all-rounder, who had a brief stint in India’s white-ball set-up, emerged as the third-highest earner of the league after Rishabh Pant (Rs 27 crore / €3.01 million) with Lucknow Super Giants and Shreyas Iyer (Rs 26.75 crore / €2.98 million) with Punjab Kings.
Even though the 30-year-old from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh made his IPL debut in the UAE during the Covid-affected 2021 edition, the tall and strapping batter has taken a liking to the emotional, albeit demanding, fans of the City of Joy.
“One of the biggest abilities of this city is to embrace cricketers as heroes, whichever team they are playing for. The stands are never empty, even for the afternoon matches,” Venkatesh said during an interaction with selected media at a conclave in Kolkata.
A late bloomer of sorts, the southpaw, whose bat swing often evokes comparisons with that of Yuvraj Singh at his prime, consolidated his standing with KKR with back-to-back standout seasons, scoring 404 and 370 runs in the 2023 and 2024 editions, respectively. Venkatesh’s name was initially touted for the captaincy role until he was officially designated as vice-captain to senior pro Ajinkya Rahane.
To be the leader of a group, you don’t necessarily have to be a captain or a vice-captain. For Madhya Pradesh, I play under someone who is younger than me. We won the IPL last year because we had a number of leaders.
Asked what additional responsibilities the vice-captain’s role would entail, Venkatesh reflected:
KKR, who won their third IPL title last year after a decade-long gap, may have managed to retain their core group of players, but the support staff has changed beyond recognition — the biggest loss being their mentor, Gautam Gambhir.
Last year’s title made Gambhir the first person in the history of the IPL to win the tournament both as a captain and a coach, creating an aura around him until he moved on to become the head coach of the Indian cricket team.
GG’s competitiveness was a big plus for us last season, and he instilled in us a hunger to win every game. By the way, he is not intense all the time as it seems.
Venkatesh said
How much will they miss both Gambhir and Shreyas Iyer, the captain for the last cycle?
See, we don’t want to pressurise ourselves thinking about the defending champions’ tag. Let’s think about 2025 as a new season and take it as it comes.
Venkatesh said
A management graduate who had been pursuing a PhD in Finance, Venkatesh once turned down a lucrative job offer with Deloitte to pursue his cricketing dreams — making him an exception, along with the likes of Varun Chakravarthy, whose reputation for academics precedes him.
Education is something that will stay with you till you die. It helps you make the correct decisions.
Venkatesh said
Venkatesh, an ardent admirer of Sourav Ganguly, fondly recalled his first encounter with the former Indian captain. “I first met Dada when he was the BCCI president, and it was an absolute fanboy moment for me,” he said. “As a southpaw, I was a big fan of his batting and had always admired his leadership skills,” he added, signing off with a touch of nostalgia.