• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

IPL 2025: Venkatesh Iyer made his way back to Kolkata Knight Riders as the defending champions bought him for a massive price of INR 23.75 crore.

Iyer, who has been part of KKR since 2021, was released ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction but will remain a part of the franchise.

As Venkatesh has emerged as one of the options for the team captaincy, the star all-rounder insisted he wants to be a "leader" in any team he plays for.

Shreyas Iyer who led KKR to their IPL title last year, was released and bought by Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 mega auction. This has given rise to a new headache for KKR as they continue to look for a new captain.

ALSO READ: WTC Final Qualification Scenarios For South Africa, India, Australia And Sri Lanka

"I’ve always maintained that I want to be a leader in any set-up that I walk into, be it Madhya Pradesh, an IPL team, or even the Indian team.

"Being a leader, you want to contribute with your ideas, with your suggestions. You don’t really need the captaincy tag for that.

"So I always want to be a leader in the dressing room. And if captaincy comes my way, it will be an honour to lead such a reputed franchise. Let’s see what’s in store for me."

The 29-year-old Iyer, who now is the fourth-most expensive player ever explained why wearing the India jersey matters to him the most.

"When the Indian team won the (T20) World Cup and came back to India, you saw the reception. Who would not want to be a part of that team? Who would not want to don that blue jersey or the Indian Test jersey," he said.

"There are certain things beyond money and skills. That’s what makes us love the game so much. And that’s called emotion, that’s passion. When we all started playing cricket, no one had the concept of earning from cricket.

ALSO READ: D Gukesh Suffers Defeat Against Ding Liren In Game 12 Of World Chess Championship 2024 Final

The move to reward Venkatesh with a monumental price was understood as a step by KKR towards handing him over the captaincy.

However, it was later reported that Ajinkya Rahane might become the new captain of the side, who was bought for a price of INR 1.5 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction.