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IPL 2025 turned out to be a forgettable season for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The franchise that dominantly won the trophy in 2024 wasn't even able to make it to the playoffs in the very next season and finished eighth on the points table with just five wins from 14 matches.
One of KKR's players who was strongly criticized by the critics was Venkatesh Iyer. After getting signed by the Kolkata-based franchise for a humongous fee of INR 23.75 crore at the mega-auction, the left-hand batter was expected to lead the side in the batting department. However, it was the opposite that ended up happening as the 30-year-old only managed to score 142 runs in 11 matches for the franchise.
Venkatesh was the third-most expensive player of the IPL 2025 mega-auction after Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer, but he certainly failed to justify his enormous price tag with his woeful batting performances.
The left-hand batter has now lashed out at his critics, stating that the criticism doesn't faze him at all. He added that it isn't his fault that the team decided to spend a massive amount in order to sign him.
“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? 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 phase 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 learnt. Not just me, but all the cricketers have learnt this: there are a lot of eyes on you, but it’s important to know what to pay heed to," Venkatesh told Sportskeeda.
“People who have had a direct impact on my life, I am answerable to only them. A lot of people have opinions – good and bad. But I only take opinions from people who directly impact me. And of course, legends were talking in analysis. And not paying heed to them is not correct, but you should understand where they are coming from. It is important to understand the fact that it’s me who’s battling in that situation. So it is tough to deal with those opinions when things don’t go your way," he added.
Venkatesh has only played for KKR in his IPL career
Meanwhile, Venkatesh has only featured for KKR in his 5-year IPL career so far. The batter has a total of 1468 runs under his name from 62 matches, including 12 half-centuries and a century as well. His poor batting displays in the previous season saw his average drop down to 29.95 and it now remains to be seen if he will be able to improve in IPL 2026.
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