The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player Venkatesh Iyer was among the top names to be let go on the day of the retention deadline (November 15) just before the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) auction on December 16. The first Indian player, 23.75 crores, was thus the prize of mega-auction last season, and Musthafa did not justify the high price tag, so he was subsequently cut.

The 30-year-old player is now going to the auction hoping to get a better place. Venkatesh Iyer expressed his wish to be in a specific team next. Interestingly, it seems despite being freed, Venkatesh still wants to play for the three-time champs if the situation permits.

The dynamic left-hander batter, while talking to Crictracker, expressed, “It’s the opportunity to play in the IPL for players like us. It does not matter which team I play for. I will give it my all. If I had to ask my heart, I would still want to play for KKR. I have already won one championship with KKR. I want to carry on the legacy. I want to bring more glory to KKR. Because they have shown so much faith in me.”

It is worth noting that Venkatesh got his IPL debut from KKR and was with them for five continuous seasons, starting from IPL 2021.

Venkatesh Iyer performance in IPL 2025

KKR player did contribute to the franchise’s third title victory in IPL 2024. However, he failed to carry on this performance to the next season. He scored 370 runs in 13 innings at a terrific average of 46.25 and a rapid strike rate of 158.79 in 2024 along with four half-centuries.

In contrast, during IPL 2025, Venkatesh Iyer could only score 142 runs at an average of 20.28, which is well below his normal performance. Additionally, he could not maintain strike rate of 140 as his strike rate dropped, too, and he managed just one half-century.

Venkatesh, despite not being able to perform well last time, is still a player with a lot of potential and he has got the experience of playing in IPL which qualifies him as a good asset for the IPL 2026 auction.

Though the KKR team has released him, it is still possible that they will bring him back, like in the IPL 2025 auction, but at a lower price.