"Dr Venkatesh Iyer" - KKR big-money star pursuing PhD alongside cricket
India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer made headlines during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) broke the bank, spending a massive amount of INR 23.75 crore to bring him back into the side.
Despite earning a huge contract, Venkatesh Iyer has expressed his desire to pursue further studies alongside cricket. Speaking to The Indian Express, the KRR star stated that despite coming from an orthodox family, his parents wanted him to do well in cricket along with his academics.
While the game gives a player a fair share of money and fame, Iyer believes that education holds the utmost importance to succeed in life.
"If a new guy walks into the MP (Madhya Pradesh) team, the first thing I ask him is ‘padhai kar rahe ho ki nahi?’ (are you studying or not?). Education will stay with you till you die, a cricketer cannot play till 60. You have to understand that there is a shelf life. After that, if you want to really excel in life, you have to be educated," he said.
Talking about how academics helps him in his personal life and on the field as well, Iyer went on to add that it gives him the perfect 'switch-off' from the game.
"Academics can give me the perfect switch-off from the game. I don’t want to be thinking of the game all the time, it adds pressure. If I can do two things at the same time, I will. Being an educated person, it helps me make better decisions on the field as well. There will be a situation when it won’t be just about the skill but whether you can make a better decision," the KKR star said.
Endorsing the importance of education, Venkatesh Iyer also urged other cricketers to equip themselves with knowledge other than cricketing knowledge.
"I want cricketers to educate themselves not just with cricketing knowledge, but general knowledge as well. If you can complete your graduation or post-graduation, you definitely should," the 29-year-old stated.
He also cheekily added that he is pursuing his PhD and would have to be addressed as 'Dr Venkatesh Iyer' the next time he is interviewed.
"I am pursuing my PhD (finance) now. You will be interviewing me as Dr Venkatesh Iyer next time!" he said.
Venkatesh Iyer will be expected to perform for KKR in IPL 2025
After being bought back for a huge amount of over INR 23 crore, the star all-rounder will shoulder a massive responsibility to deliver for KKR in the upcoming season as the defending champions eye a fourth IPL title.
In the aforementioned interview, Iyer also spoke about a special moment from last season where Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan praised him after the final.
"After the (2024 IPL) final, my mother had come onto the ground and Shah Rukh sir met her and praised me, saying, ‘he’s a very good child’. the happiness I saw in my mother’s eyes, I really cannot forget that moment," he said.
Venkatesh played a vital role in KKR's 2024 title victory, scoring 370 runs from 13 innings at an average of 46.25 and strike-rate of 158.79 along with four half-centuries. He will be expected to do even better in the upcoming season, if not replicate a similar performance at the very least.