KKR Likely to Release Venkatesh Iyer Ahead of IPL 2026; CSK May Eye Him, Says Ashwin

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.