"My name is Aakash Iyer anyone up for the bidding" - Fans react as Venkatesh Iyer gets sold to KKR for whopping INR 23.75 crore in IPL 2025 auction
Fans gave their reactions as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured the services of Venkatesh Iyer for INR 23.75 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction. The bid made the batting all-rounder the third-most expensive player in the event so far.
Interestingly, Iyer has been playing for the side since the 2021 season. In his first season, the southpaw slammed 370 runs to help KKR turn the tables and qualify for the playoffs.
In the last edition, Iyer scored 370 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 158.79, to help the side lift the title. In four seasons, he amassed a total of 1,326 runs at a strike rate of 137.12, with a solitary century and 11 fifties.
Despite impressive performance, KKR decided against retaining him ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. The likes of Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh were the six players retained by the side.
Surprisingly, KKR didn't retain captain Shreyas Iyer for the upcoming season. As a result, the Punjab Kings bought him for INR 26.75 crore earlier in the day.
Fans had mixed reactions to Venkatesh Iyer getting sold at such a high price, and they took to X to share their opinions. One fan wrote:
"My name is Aakash Iyer, anyone up for the bidding?"
Here are some other reactions:
"Venkatesh Iyer is back home where he belongs, KKR made a great buy!" a fan tweeted.
"Venkatesh Iyer Surpassed KL Rahul in IPL auction..Absolute Cinema," another posted.
"Why didn't KKR retain Venkatesh Iyer if they were willing to spend 23.75 Cr for him?" a fan opined.
"RCB lucky to escape that one. Venkatesh is good, very good maybe, but 23.75 is massive," a fan posted.
IPL 2025 auction: Quinton de Kock becomes second acquisition of KKR
After Venkatesh Iyer's huge bid, the Kolkata Knight Riders bought veteran keeper-batter Quinton de Kock for INR 3.6 crore.
The southpaw played 11 games for the Lucknow Super Giants last season and garnered 250 runs at a strike rate of 134.40.
Nevertheless, he has been in fine form in the shortest format. Quinton was the second-highest run-scorer in the Caribbean Premier League 2024 with 453 runs in 12 innings.