Although Venkatesh Iyer is eager to walk into the Royal Challengers Bengaluru starting lineup, the all-rounder is happy with the role clarity the management has given him and is aware of the team dynamics that have kept him on the bench.
Venkatesh, who was a member of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ successful IPL 2024 campaign, joined RCB before to IPL 2026 but has only participated in one game thus far, finding it difficult to gain insight into the Bengaluru team’s crowded top and middle order.
“…not used to sitting out, See, this is a team environment and as someone who places the team above everything else, it’s my duty to adhere to the environment,” PTI quoted Venkatesh telling a select media gathering.
The all-rounder is well aware that RCB won’t want to change a combination that won them their first IPL title a year ago.
“We’re defending champions. So, to tinker with a combination that has won you a championship is not always the smartest move. So as someone who’s walked into a team, it’s my duty to know what role I can play. The credit for that has to go to Mo (Bobat), Andy (Flower) and DK (Dinesh Karthik).”
“They’ve been amazing when it comes to conversations about what my role in the team is. They’ve given me absolute clarity. Yes, It is hard, to be honest (to sit out). It’s something that you can’t prepare for. But that does not mean I’m not a part of their plans. It’s definitely a matter of when rather than if,” he added.
The 31-year-old was purchased by RCB for Rs 7 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, a far cry from the Rs 23.75 crore he had commanded from KKR.
Venkatesh does not see his motivation declining, despite the fact that his prospects of playing for RCB have decreased in tandem with that decline in his monetary value.
“It’s not easy. But it’s extremely important to stay motivated because you can easily get desperate. You can easily lose out on your work ethic. So, I train my mind in such a way that I’m going to play every game. With the impact player (rule), anything can happen.”
“But at the same time, I’ve always lived my life in a way that I compare myself with where I was yesterday. To look back at where I am in life, not just a game, is something that keeps me going. I had a great time for the past few years. I’m married now. I have a family. So, all these things kind of add to it that I’m doing well in life. So, these things keep me motivated,” he explained.
But does he still feel regret for KKR’s decision to offload in order to free up a purse that was about Rs 24 crore?
“I spent quite a lot of time at KKR, learnt a lot of things. I’d be lying if I said that I don’t have any emotional connection to them. There was amazing communication between me and Abhishek Nair (KKR coach) who wanted to release me at that point in time. So, he told me what the team requires. And you can get anything done out of me if it’s good for the team,” he said.
Venkatesh claimed that Dinesh Karthik has been teaching him the subtleties of contemporary T20 batting.
“One thing I’ve understood is how to be flexible when it comes to batting. Obviously, he’s working with me only on my batting. How I can assess situations. How can I be smart in terms of staying ahead of others and combine that with total hard work.”
Rajat Patidar, the captain of the RCB and Venkatesh’s accomplice from age-group cricket in MP, has outclassed the all-rounder with his straightforward techniques.
“I see the biggest strength of Rajat Patidar is how simple he is in terms of his thinking, in terms of how he carries himself, also in terms of his batting. People are in awe of how he clears the boundary with ease. But at the end of the day, when you jot it down to how he does it, it’s actually simplicity. But he is tough also. So I think that fellow, I’ve not seen him change over the years. He’s still the same old Rajat that I used to admire back in under-19 days,” he said.
A player would not wish to develop his red-ball game skill sets during IPL net sessions. But that’s precisely what Venkatesh is doing.
“One aspect is that I get bored in the room. So I don’t want to spend a lot of time there. But one thing that I really feel that I haven’t tapped into is my red ball bowling. So, I make it a point to identify someone who has played a lot of red ball cricket.”
“Last year (at KKR), I had Mitchell Starc. This year, I have Josh Hazlewood. So, obviously my conversations with them are about how I can improve my red ball bowling,” he added.
