"You would have got Salt for ₹12 crore and were getting KL Rahul for ₹14 crore" - Aakash Chopra on KKR's buy of Venkatesh Iyer in IPL 2025 auction
Aakash Chopra has questioned the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for spending a whopping sum to buy Venkatesh Iyer at the IPL 2025 auction. He pointed out that Phil Salt, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan were available relatively cheaper at the auction.
KKR spent ₹23.75 crore to acquire Venkatesh's services at the recent auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Salt (₹11.50 crore), Rahul (₹14 crore) and Kishan (₹11.25 crore) were sold at a much lesser price at the auction.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener noted that the Kolkata Knight Riders bought Venkatesh for a massive sum even though he is rarely used with the ball in the IPL and is not a straightforward captaincy choice.
"They couldn't retain the Iyers (Shreyas and Venkatesh) and they probably knew that they would get only one of them when they went into the auction. They didn't go for their captain but for Venky. When you spend ₹23.75 crore for one player, you think he will either become this team's captain or will be a double-skilled player at least but he is neither of them," he said (1:10).
"Loyalty is expensive, it is absolutely right. When you spend so much money on a player, your balance is compromised somewhere or the other. Then you start thinking whether you could have picked Salt instead of him. You would have got Salt for ₹12 crore and were getting KL Rahul for ₹14 crore, or else Ishan Kishan. He also could have opened," Chopra added.
Venkatesh aggregated 370 runs at a strike rate of 158.79 in 13 innings in IPL 2024. He went wicketless and conceded 28 runs in the only over he bowled last season.
"Can Rinku Singh become the captain because he was among the retained players?" - Aakash Chopra on KKR's captaincy options
![Rinku Singh was KKR's first retention ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/7908d-17327726674847-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra questioned whether either Rinku Singh or Sunil Narine could captain the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2025.
"Who will be the captain? Captain is a very important asset and you won't even have Gautam (Gambhir) in the dugout this time. Can Rinku Singh become the captain because he was among the retained players? Sunil Narine has done some captaincy but can he be the captain in the IPL?" he said (10:25).
The renowned commentator reckons Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey and Moeen Ali could be the other captaincy candidates for KKR.
"Venkatesh Iyer was given the most money, so does that make him the captaincy choice? This team also has Ajinkya Rahane and Manish Pandey. Will you start looking towards one of them because they have captained at the domestic level and for India in the case of Rahane? Apart from them, Moeen Ali - I am seeing who all have captained a little at the international level," Chopra observed.
Chopra opined that KKR didn't buy a captain in the auction. He added that he would be okay if Rinku is appointed the skipper but questioned whether it was the franchise's original plan.