Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer had a disappointing outing on Monday in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Kerala. The stylish batter known for his hard-hitting managed to score just eight runs before being run out by Krishna Prasad. The dismissal came after a mix-up with his fellow batter Himanshu Mantri while attempting a quick single, leaving Iyer short of his ground.
Venkatesh Iyer in IPL 2026 auction
At the IPL 2026 mini-auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bought Iyer for Rs 7 crore for the 19th edition of the cash-rich league, which is a sharp drop from the Rs 23.75 crore Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had paid him last season. While the price difference has sparked debate, it hasn’t changed opinions about his talent, even as questions remain over how defending champions RCB plan to use him in the upcoming season.
Bangar on Iyer
After the mini-auction in Abu Dhabi, former India batting coach and JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar had praised Iyer’s consistency but reckons the difficulty of breaking into an established lineup.
“He has been consistent, and you can see his confidence," Bangar said. “Will he be in the playing eleven right away? There is some doubt, as this is a settled team."
Iyer had entered the auction with a base price of Rs 2 crore and drew early bids from Lucknow Super Giants before Gujarat Titans and former franchise KKR entered the fray. RCB eventually won the contest to bring him to Bengaluru.
Iyer's IPL career
In 56 IPL innings, Iyer has amassed 1,468 runs at an average of 29.12 and a strike rate exceeding 137, including one century and 12 half-centuries. His last IPL campaign, though, was a challenging one, as he managed only 142 runs in seven innings for KKR despite carrying a hefty valuation.
IPL 2026 schedule
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is scheduled to start from March 26 and the final will take place on May 31. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play the opener clash as per tournament's rules but the venue is yet to be decided since M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been declared unsatifastory to host public gatherings and events.