Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Abhishek Nayar has spilled the beans on the team’s decision to release Venkatesh Iyer before the IPL 2026 auction. Despite being the third-most expensive player in the mega auction after being sold for Rs 23.75 crore, the all-rounder was released ahead of the mini-auction, largely due to his sub-par performance in IPL 2025. Ahead of the next season, Nayar – who replaced Chandrakant Pandit as head coach – has explained why KKR went after Iyer in the first place.
Did Venkatesh Iyer’s attitude cost him place in KKR in IPL 2026?
Speaking on Doordarshan’s The Great Indian Cricket Show, Nayar claimed that the primary reason as to why Iyer was picked by the side was due to his attitude. He recalled that the all-rounder had volunteered to bowl the final over in his second game after the bowler had cramped, adding that while he did concede 18 runs in that over, his willingness to face adversity was admired.
“I actually picked him because of his attitude. On day one, Venkatesh Iyer walked in with swagger; he performed, but he never looked at us or tried to please anyone. I thought he was someone with a lot of attitude,” Nayar said.
KKR released the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, only to buy him back for a whooping Rs 23.75 crore. What followed was disaster. Iyer, who had been very consistent for the side until IPL 2024, registered his worst-ever season in 2025. He managed to score just 142 runs from 11 matches at a miserable average of 20.29. With just one half-century to his name, Venkatesh was simply a letdown as he failed to justify his hefty price tag.
“On day two, we gave him a game. In the final over, when our bowler cramped, Venky shouted from the boundary, ‘I will bowl the last over’. He bowled and conceded 18 runs, but what I loved was his willingness to face adversity. The trial mattered less to him than proving to himself that he was doing the right thing. That conviction stayed with me,” Nayar added.
