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KKR Likely to Release Venkatesh Iyer Ahead of IPL 2026; CSK May Eye Him, Says Ashwin
KKR may release Venkatesh Iyer: KKR signed Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping ₹23.75 crore (approximately $2.75 billion), but his performance last season was mediocre. Consequently, KKR may release him before the IPL 2026 auction.
Ahead of the retention deadline for IPL 2026, all franchises have started devising their strategies for the next season. Meanwhile, it is believed that KKR might release Venkatesh Iyer. KKR had signed him for a whopping amount of ₹23.75 crore, approximately $2.75 billion. However, Venkatesh could not live up to the expectations of the team. Now the question arises, if KKR releases him, which team will buy him? Former cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin says that if Venkatesh is released, CSK could be the one buying him.
If we look at the batting figures of Venkatesh Iyer in IPL 2025, every run he scored came at a cost of approximately ₹6.25 lakh (approximately Rs. 6.75 lakh) to KKR. Iyer scored just 142 runs in seven matches for KKR last season, at an average of 20.28 and a strike rate of 139.21. During this period, his only half-century came in a 60-run innings. Given this performance and the cost incurred, KKR may not want to retain him.
In fact, if CSK trades Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja to the Rajasthan Royals (RR), Chennai will need a strong batsman. Since both Jadeja and Curran are left-handed batsmen, they will want to look for such an option in the IPL auction. Either Venkatesh Iyer or Nitish Rana could be ideal options for CSK.
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Meanwhile, R Ashwin has said that if Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja go to the Rajasthan Royals, CSK may consider Nitish Rana or Venkatesh Iyer if they go to the auction. Samson and Ruturaj could open the innings, with Venkatesh or Rana coming in at number three. Brevis and Dubey could bat at numbers four and five. They will then try to include Cameron Green at number six, who recently batted in the middle order for Australia.
Ashwin said that Venkatesh is very fond of the MA Chidambaram Cricket Stadium. He has batted there at an average of 32 and a strike rate of 168.42. Iyer has played a couple of good innings at Chepauk. He can play with a long lever like Shivam Dube. He can also play the sweep and reverse sweep. He could be an attractive option for CSK.
