Venkatesh Iyer takes 70.5% pay cut at IPL 2026 auction, RCB grabs all-rounder for INR 7 crore

Venkatesh Iyer has been handed a whopping INR 16.75 crore pay cut at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction. The all-rounder had earned the mammoth sum after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chose to break the bank for him after releasing him and Shreyas Iyer.

RCB, Venkatesh Iyer’s new IPL home

The loyalty factor kicked in, as KKR paid no heed to the price and outbid Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to get him for INR 23.75 crore. Well, after an abysmal IPL 2025 season, KKR again released him. One thought they’d go hard for him again, but it turns out RCB, who bid for him last year, were the only ones really interested in him.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT) showed interest, but both backed out after the bid reached INR 3.20. From there on, RCB and KKR went toe-to-toe until the latter thought it was enough for them.

Since KKR had already spent INR 25.20 on Cameron Green, a middle-order batter like Venkatesh, they thought spending over INR 7 crore wasn’t worth it for him, but RCB were fine with it.

“We rate Venky so highly. We had a chat with him; we liked him, and we are very happy to have him. He has a good leadership quality too, so it helps in the dressing room environment,” RCB head coach Andy Flower told JioStar after acquiring Venkatesh.

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