Kolkata Knight Riders will enter into the upcoming mini auction with a big purse as they have released some of their key players including Venkatesh Iyer. The dates for the 2025 mini auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) have been announced. This time, the auction will be held on December 16 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Prior to this, all 10 teams have released their lists of retained and released players. This list includes several surprising names. One name is that of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer.
Iyer himself issued some significant statements
Venkatesh Iyer was one of the most expensive players in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He was bought by KKR for a whopping ₹23.75 crore. Now, Iyer has broken his silence on his release by speaking to the media.
In an interview with CricTracker, when Iyer was asked before the mini-auction, if not KKR, which team would he like to play for in IPL 2026 and why, he said, “For players like us, playing in the IPL is the biggest opportunity. It doesn’t matter which team I play for. I always try to give my best.”
Iyer further said, “If I ask myself from my heart, I would still like to play for KKR. I have won a title with KKR and I want to carry forward that legacy. I want to bring more glory to KKR because they have always shown faith in me. If not KKR, then any other team will do. Everyone knows that wherever I go, I will play with all my might. Not just batting or bowling, I can also contribute to the team through leadership and by giving suggestions to the captain.”
The all-rounder said, “To be honest, I’m not at all surprised that KKR released me . I’m still in touch with Abhishek Nayar, who is also my coach. Let’s see what happens in the auction.” Besides Iyer, KKR also released all-rounder Andre Russell.