‘Is that the indicator that Venkatesh Iyer will be released?’ – Aakash Chopra asks why KKR left out misfiring batter in SRH-KKR tie

On Sunday, May 25, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ended their dismal Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season with a devastating 110-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

Interestingly, the Knights excluded Venkatesh Iyer for the second time this season. He was not included in the team that faced the Chennai Super Kings on May 7, before the IPL was halted for a week owing to security concerns over the India-Pakistan war. Following the league’s resumption, KKR’s match against RCB on May 17 was called off without a toss. On Sunday, Venkatesh was one of the Impact Subs. However, Angkrish Raghuvanshi was designated as the Impact Player.

Aakash Chopra wondered if the Madhya Pradesh cricketer, who was bought for a staggering INR 23.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, would be released before next season, given that he was not utilised on Sunday.

“The biggest surprise for me in this match was that they did not play Venkatesh Iyer. He was on the impact substitutes list, but you didn’t get him to bat. Manish Pandey and Angkrish Raghuvanshi batted first, followed by Ramandeep Singh and Rinku Singh. “You played everyone except Venky,” Chopra stated on his official YouTube channel.

“Is this an indication that Venky will be launched next year? After releasing ₹23 crore, consider buying him back at a lower price. That is a possibility, but I believe we have an indicator for next year,” he said.

Venkatesh played 11 games for KKR this season.

He batted only seven times, scoring 142 runs with an average of 20.29 and a strike rate of 139.22. The southpaw only had one half-century in the campaign. Venkatesh was inexperienced with the ball, which startled both fans and analysts.

KKR allowed 278/3 in the first innings, with Heinrich Klaasen scoring a 37-ball century. In response, the defending champions were bowled out for 168. KKR slid to eighth place on the points table, collecting 12 points from 14 games.