BENGALURU: Venkatesh Iyer is a very practical person. It's very easy to come to that conclusion. He himself says it but it's also reflected in his approach to life and career.
In 2024, he was an IPL champion with Kolkata Knight Riders. He could do no wrong. In 2025, after the franchise signed him back for `23.75 cr, he couldn't produce the same numbers.
KKR released him. Just the life of an IPL player. Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed him for `7 cr. For a few players, it can be hard to process this reality. When you ask the 31-year-old how he processed it, his answer was laced with humour but he holds no grudges. "There will be days when you think if 'I had a good year last season, my bank account would go up by another `24 cr' (smiles)," he says. "That's the obvious thought, right? But you are signing up for it.
"You are signing up for extra responsibility. At the end of the day, you got to accept that you did not justify what happened." In 2024, the southpaw struck at 158.8 while averaging 46. The two corresponding figures in 2025 were 139.2 and 20.2.
He very quickly made peace with it because there was always constant communication between him and Abhishek Nayar as to why KKR were going to release him.
While he concedes that he felt bad when the franchise released him, he's looking forward to winning titles with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The first challenge, though, is to feature in the XI (or XII). Out of the six games they have played, he has featured only once.
"It does (play on your mind when you are sitting out)," he says. "But, see, this is a professional sport. Not used to sitting out but this is a team environment. And as someone who places the team above everything else, it's my duty to adhere to the environment. We are obviously the defending champions. So to tinker with a combination that has won you a Championship is not always the smartest move. As someone who's walked into a team, it's my duty to understand the dynamics of the team."
This kind of self-awareness — usually lacking in a lot of sportspersons — shines through on multiple occasions. "Money is money," he says. "But, yeah, as long as I understood that it's going to be better for the team, whatever setup, I had to be okay with it. I don't have any other option also."
But he ensures that motivation is on point while he waits in the dugout for his chance. "It's something that you can't prepare for (to wait for that one opportunity)," he says. "But I'm a practical person. I know how things work. When I look at the team, I know there's a realistic chance that I can be benched. That's okay. That's the beauty of the game, it shows you so many things. Even this time, it's important to stay motivated because you can easily get desperate. You can easily lose out on your work ethic. So I train my mind in such a way that I'm going to play every game."
He also says that the communication from the RCB leadership group has been on point. "They've given me absolute clarity. Sitting outside does not mean that I'm not a part of their plans. It's definitely a matter of when rather than if.
"I actually got one opportunity and I'm extremely delighted that I got to bat for RCB. And I actually scored quite a bit (unbeaten 15-ball 29 against RR). So these are moments that actually create an impact on the coaching staff that 'yes, a player is ready'.
"And, if given the opportunity, I would definitely love to contribute. But as of now, I'm 100% backing the boys to do the job for the team."
He will be hoping to play in front of his fans for the first time this season. But if it doesn't transpire against Gujarat Titans on Friday, the 'team man' will cheer his teammates on.
Why he carries a red-ball with him
The Madhya Pradesh cricketer is an all-rounder by vocation but the Impact Player rule has completely eliminated his secondary skill-set. Bowling an over or two. In his last 41 IPL games stretching back to 2023, he has bowled a total of six balls.
If the Impact Player is going to stay — there's no reason to suggest it won't — Venkatesh may not get to bowl a lot of balls. It's something he also says.
But like other cricketers during the T20 era, he's constantly upskilling himself. In this context, it involves Josh Hazlewood, a red-ball and a desire to win the Ranji Trophy.
"I make it a point, whichever team I go in, I try to identify someone who has played a lot of red-ball cricket," he says. "This year, I have Hazlewood." It's because he feels he can contribute extensively with the ball in the longer format of the game. "My conversations with them are about how I can improve my red-ball bowling. Because I know my role in white-ball. I know I won't be bowling four overs.
"Because I want to go back home and win the Ranji Trophy once again. And I know that I can do it with the ball in hand. So every year I have a red-ball in my kit bag (when I come for the IPL. I do make it a point that I take a couple of sessions of fast bowling with a Test legend (he took inputs from Mitchell Starc when the duo were in KKR)."
For the time being though, he's locked into becoming an IPL winner for the second time.
