How RCB can tap into Venkatesh Iyer’s skills as it gears up to defend IPL title

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will begin its title defence when it meets Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 28.

The defending champion opted to make minimal changes to its title-winning squad at the auction in December, instead looking to strengthen its backups to key roles. One of those players, however, will be looking to force his way into the playing XII: Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer.

Boasting 11 caps for India, Venkatesh was signed for Rs. 7 crore in the auction as RCB looked to strengthen its Indian batting. But how did the 31-year-old become available, and why did RCB opt to sign him?

Attacking intent and pace hitting

Venkatesh initially broke through representing Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2021 edition of the IPL, where he slotted in at the top of the order alongside Shubman Gill in the second half of a season split into two by COVID.

His willingness to attack the game early on proved sufficiently impressive to the KKR management. So much so that it retained him ahead of the 2022 mega-auction. He repaid the faith by producing back-to-back impressive seasons in 2023 (404 runs at strike-rate 145.84) and 2024 (370 runs at 158.79).

During this time, the southpaw moved down the order, batting predominantly at number three, and established himself as a particularly fine hitter of pace bowling, striking at 168.57 against the quicks, rising to 172.35 in the middle overs. 

He also struck the first century by a KKR batter since Brendon McCullum in the very first IPL match way back in 2008 and was a crucial component of his side’s run to the title in 2024, even scoring a 24-ball fifty and striking the winning runs in the final. 

A tough 2025 

KKR could not retain Venkatesh ahead of the 2025 mega-auction but was one of a number of franchises interested in his services. His entrance to the auction triggered a massive bidding war between KKR and RCB, and by the time the hammer eventually came down, he was the third-most expensive player in the auction, returning to his old team for Rs. 23.75 crore. 

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The price tag, however, combined with a slightly different role seemed to get to him slightly, and his returns were poor. Moved to the middle order to bat in the number four and five slots, he managed 142 runs at a strike-rate of 139.21 as KKR was the worst-performing side in the middle overs. While his record against pace remained decent, his record against spin, always his least preferred bowling type, was especially stark as he struck at 125.45 overall and 128.30 between overs seven and 15. 

The only bright spark in his season came early on against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he clubbed 60 from 29 balls as KKR cruised to a comfortable 80-run victory. KKR had a similarly abject season, finishing eighth with five wins from its 14 matches.

A change in scenery?

Venkatesh’s tough season in 2025 was enough for KKR to release him ahead of the 2026 auction as it looked to free up budget to revamp its squad. It once again got involved in a bidding war with RCB for him, but this time it was the team in red and gold that came out on top.

The move to RCB confirms that Venkatesh will play under his Madhya Pradesh State-mate Rajat Patidar, although it remains to be seen where he will play for RCB. What seems most likely is that he is in competition with fellow southpaw Devdutt Padikkal for the number three slot, but he could also be used as a backup for any of the middle-order batters, acting as a replacement for the role Liam Livingstone was intended for in 2025.

What makes him a more attractive prospect for RCB is his left-handedness, breaking up the run of four consecutive right-handers between Padikkal at three and Krunal Pandya at as low as number eight. The question for the defending champion will thus become how it can give him the best chance of facing pace and maximizing his positive matchups.

As RCB goes from being the chasers to the chased in 2026, it will need to extract as much as it can from its squad to win back-to-back titles. A good season from Venkatesh would be beneficial for both player and team, as he looks to provide a reminder of the form that earned him a national call-up and RCB looks to complete a relatively uncommon double.

Published on Mar 28, 2026