Venkatesh Iyer 'more than happy' to embrace captaincy challenge at KKR

Jeddah: Bought back by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore at the IPL mega auction here, Venkatesh Iyer on Sunday said he would be "more than happy" to take on the captaincy challenge and step into Shreyas Iyer's shoes.

In a bold and unexpected move, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned franchise chose not to retain their 2024 IPL-winning captain Shreyas Iyer at the mega auction here and went for an all out bidding war against Royal Challengers Bengaluru to secure Venkatesh.

"I had the opportunity to captain the side in Nitish Rana’s absence when he was unfortunately injured, and I was the vice-captain as well," said Venkatesh after he was bought by KKR for the huge amount.

"I’ve always believed that captaincy is just a tag, but leadership is about creating an environment where everyone feels they can play for this team and contribute. If given the responsibility, I would be more than happy to take it on. Absolutely (I'm ready for it).

"Together, we will aim to defend the championship and continue our winning campaign. Thank you very much for picking me in your squad,” he added.

Venkatesh, who has represented India in nine T20Is and two ODIs, became the third-most expensive buy at the IPL mega auction, after Shreyas (Punjab Kings, Rs 26.75 crore) and Rishabh Pant (Lucknow Super Giants, Rs 27 crore).

The hefty price tag made him one of the biggest surprises of Sunday’s auction and he could not thank the franchise enough.

“Thank you, KKR, for trusting me and showing so much belief in me. I'm extremely delighted to be part of Kolkata Knight Riders again. To be honest, I'm at a loss for words, but I'm elated to be part of the KKR team once again," said the 29-year-old.

"The KKR coach (Chandrakant Pandit) was also my coach in Madhya Pradesh. We were discussing how I felt nervous about coming back to KKR. But again, it’s a message of the franchise's focus on winning championships and player development and how much they value its players. I’m thrilled to play for KKR again and happy they’ve shown so much confidence in me.” It was about maintaining our core: Mysore

KKR CEO and MD Venky Mysore said his team's priority was to maintain balance and have some core players, with marquee signings like Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje.

“Auctions are always unpredictable. It’s about the type of players you want and how they fit into your strategy. Prices certainly have a meaning within a certain band, but auctions often surprise you," he said.

"With salary caps increasing, it’s natural for prices to expand too. For us, it was crucial to maintain our core. We’ve retained six players and brought back three from last year. That was the main objective."