Venkatesh Iyer gives it back to critics after his outstanding 60 off 29 balls in the KKR vs SRH match

Nw Desk 1 hour ago 0 1

In a post-match press conference, Iyer said, “It doesn’t mean that I’m the highest-paid cricketer I will have to score in every match.”

Venkatesh Iyer answered his critics with an outstanding 60 off 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), helping his team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), win the game in IPL 2025. KKR had released Venkatesh Iyer after their IPL-winning run last year but spent a staggering ₹23.75 crore in the mega auction to get him back.

Venkatesh Iyer gives it back to his critics.

Venkatesh has been a consistent performer for KKR since debuting in 2021. He only had a disappointing season in 2022. The left-hander has scored over 350 runs every year in IPL. He accumulated only 9 runs in two outings. He didn’t get a chance to bat in the second match in IPL 2025, and thus, questions were being asked. In a post-match press conference after answering his critics with an incredible 60 off 29 balls against SRH to help his team get back to winning ways in the 18th season, he said, “Once IPL starts, it doesn’t matter whether you were sold for ₹20 lakh or 20 crore. The money doesn’t define how you will play cricket.”

“It doesn’t mean that I’m the highest-paid cricketer.”

He said, “We have a youngster, Angrish Raghuvanshi, who is doing well. I know that the question of high payment and expectations will come up a lot, but I am a player who wants to contribute to the team’s success. There will be tricky situations when my team would require me to play out a few balls. If I can do that even after not scoring that many runs, I have done the job for my team. It doesn’t mean that I’m the highest-paid cricketer I will have to score in every match. It’s about the impact.”

Venkatesh Iyer added, “Yes, there is some pressure, I won’t lie. The pressure not about money, it is about how can contribute to the team’s success. I don’t look at who is bowling. The focus is always on what is being bowled looking at the field placement.”