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It's My Duty To Pay Them Back: KKR Star's Bold Comments Ahead Of IPL Opener Against RCB
Follow UsThe all-rounder started his career at KKR when he was signed for a base price of INR 20 Lakh in 2021
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)’s newly appointed vice-captain, Venaktesh Iyer, said that he was indebted to the franchise for showing so much faith in him and giving him such a huge leadership role in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
“It’s an honour to be called a key player for this franchise with such a rich history and legacy,” Venaktesh told reporters at Knights Unplugged 2.0, an annual event organised by the KKR to introduce their IPL squad at the start of every season to fans and media.
“The franchise has shown tremendous trust in me and gave me a big break in my life. There’s a lot of gratitude, and it’s my duty to pay them back. I hope this journey continues for a very long time,” added the 30-year-old.
Venkatesh started his IPL journey with KKR in 2021 when he bought for a price of INR 20 Lakh. He was later retained for INR 8 Cr per season from 2022-24. In IPL 2025 mega auction, the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder was bought for INR 23.75 Cr, the second-costliest buy in KKR’s history after Mitchell Starc, for whom they had shelled INR 24.75 Cr.
Ajinkya Rahane, who is back with the Knight Riders after first playing for them in IPL 2022, will lead the side, and he is looking forward to defending the title that the Shreyas Iyer-led side won in IPL 2024.
"It’s great to be back with KKR. We have a very good team this year. For us, it’s about keeping it simple—we’ve been practicing really well and everyone is on the same page. It’s going to be a great season for us,” he said.
