Venkatesh Iyer was one of the 4 players that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chose to retain ahead of the IPL auctions. Venkatesh Iyer will be paid a colossal sum of INR 8 Crore by the Kolkata franchise for the 2022 edition of the tournament.
IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has retained Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Venkatesh Iyer, and Varun Chakravarthy for IPL 2022. KKR ended as runners-up to CSK in IPL 2021 after losing the final by 27 runs. However, the franchise does not seem keen on retaining its leadership group of Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik.
Venkatesh Iyer Is Extremely Grateful To Kolkata Knight Riders Management For Retaining Him For IPL 2022
The dashing left-hander has revealed that he is happy to have been retained by the KKR franchise. Adding that the KKR side gave him his major break in his career, the 26-year-old said that he is grateful to the management for having faith in him.
“I am really happy to be back, KKR is the franchise that gave me my big break and introduced me to the world of cricket. I am extremely grateful to KKR management for putting their faith in me,” said Venkatesh according to an official release from the KKR franchise.
Venkatesh Iyer’s IPL salary has shot up 40 times. In the 2021 auction, Knight Riders bought the allrounder for his base price of INR 20 lakh. On Tuesday, Venkatesh Iyer, who made his India debut in November, was retained by Knight Riders for INR 8 crore. The all-rounder played all 3 T20Is at home against 2021 T20I WC runners up New Zealand and scored 36 runs and picked a solitary scalp,
Venkatesh Iyer Feels At Home Being A Part Of KKR And Is Looking Forward To Play Before Eden Gardens Crowd
Venkatesh Iyer also said that he feels at home when he is playing for the KKR outfit, and added that the Kolkata franchise had played a pivotal role in helping him make his debut for the Indian side as well. Venkatesh Iyer concluded by stating that he is looking forward to playing in front of the crowd at The Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“I feel at home being a part of KKR, the franchise has played a very vital role in me adorning the blues. I am looking forward to playing at Eden gardens, it’s always special to be there and to play in front of a packed crowd,” concluded Venkatesh.
Venkatesh Iyer was in rollicking form in the 2021 edition of the IPL’s UAE leg and gave blazing starts for the KKR side at the top of the order. He played 10 matches in the tournament and plundered 370 runs at an average of 41.11, and a strike rate of close to 130.