Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has expressed his desire to become the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. While KKR has yet to announce the captain for the upcoming season, Venkatesh Iyer made it clear that he is eager to take on a leadership role.
The defending IPL champions secured Venkatesh Iyer for a massive Rs 23.75 crore after a bidding war with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Notably, the Kolkata-based franchise failed to reacquire IPL-winning captain Shreyas Iyer. They pulled out of the bidding war after Shreyas Iyer reached Rs 10 crore.
I Want to Be a Leader in Any Set-Up – Venkatesh Iyer
There were rumors suggesting Venkatesh might make his IPL captaincy debut in the upcoming season. However, reports have emerged that Ajinkya Rahane was signed for a captaincy role. Venkatesh said that he wants to be a leader in the dressing room, regardless of being named KKR’s captain.
“I’ve always maintained that I want to be a leader in any set-up that I walk into, be it Madhya Pradesh, an IPL team, or even the Indian team,” Venkatesh told Indian Express.
“Being a leader, you want to contribute with your ideas, with your suggestions. You don’t really need the captaincy tag for that. So I always want to be a leader in the dressing room. And if captaincy comes my way, it will be an honour to lead such a reputed franchise. Let’s see what’s in store for me,” he added.
We Know People Are Talking About You – Venkatesh Iyer
The 29-year-old Venkatesh Iyer said that the pressure of his price tag is noticeable, but it won’t affect his performance once the IPL begins. He admitted that what matters is fulfilling the role given to him as part of the team.
“It is a big jump from where I was yesterday, to where I will be in the future, in terms of bank balance. I’d be lying if I said that there won’t be any pressure of the price tag,” Iyer said.
“We’re all living in a world where social media is very active, where we know people are talking about you, where there are so many analysts talking about you. I’m not someone who will entirely ignore it. But once the IPL starts, it doesn’t matter if you were picked for Rs 20 lakh or Rs 20 crore. You are part of a team, there’ll be a certain role given to you. It’s your duty to try and fulfil that role,” he concluded.
Venkatesh Iyer Joined Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 Season
Venkatesh joined the Knight Riders in 2021 for his base price of Rs 20 lakh and impressed with his performances in the tournament’s second leg. KKR retained him for Rs 8 crore before the 2022 season. Iyer has scored 1,326 runs in 50 games at a strike rate of 137.12, including one century and 11 fifties.
The all-rounder is considered a strong candidate to lead KKR in IPL 2025, but the team also has other options, including Rinku Singh and Sunil Narine. Ajinkya Rahane was bought for his base price of Rs 1.50 crore.
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