India All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer recently became the fourth-costliest pick in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 23.75 crore at the mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He has now revealed that he always wanted to be retained by KKR; however, he is glad to return to the Kolkata-based franchise as well.
“Obviously, when you see the paddle getting raised for you, you never want the paddle to stop getting raised. But after a point of time, I actually felt that both RCB and KKR were pushing for me,” Venkatesh Iyer told Indian Express. “I think it goes to show how much trust KKR has in me. I was surprised, but at the same time, extremely happy. To be honest, I wanted to play for KKR. If it were in my hands, I would have loved to be retained. But that didn’t happen. I’m really happy that I’m back at KKR.”
Talking about what conversations he had with KKR management and CEO Venky Mysore, Iyer said, “I had a word with him before the announcement of retentions. He was very clear in telling me that ‘we won’t be able to retain you because of the retention rules’ and not because they didn’t want me in KKR.”
“So I told him, ‘Sir, if you have the option, and if you can, please do everything in your power to get me back to KKR’. It kind of worked, didn’t it? It goes to show how much he trusts and believes in me. I’d really like to thank him. Over the years, we have built a wonderful relationship. I actually felt really grateful,” he further added.
While Venkatesh Iyer was bought for a big amount in the auction, many cricket pundits are expecting Venkatesh Iyer to lead KKR in the upcoming edition of the IPL as well. However, some reports are stating that it would be the veteran Ajinkya Rahane who will captain the three-time IPL champions as well.
“I’ve always maintained that I want to be a leader in any set-up that I walk into, be it Madhya Pradesh, an IPL team, or even the Indian team. Being a leader, you want to contribute with your ideas, with your suggestions. You don’t really need the captaincy tag for that. So I always want to be a leader in the dressing room. And if captaincy comes my way, it will be an honour to lead such a reputed franchise. Let’s see what’s in store for me,” Venkatesh Iyer concluded.
