Key Points
KKR vice-captain reflects on Shah Rukh Khan's motivational advice
Iyer's impressive IPL performance since 2021
Learned to focus on present after missed opportunities
KKR will kickstart their title defence journey in IPL 2025 with a clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Iyer will be one of the players in the spotlight as the deputy to skipper Ajinkya Rahane was bought back by KKR for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore. Over the years, he has delivered several notable performances for the Knights ever since his debut in 2021.
He recalled a valuable lesson imparted to him by the team owner and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.
"In 2022, there were talks about me being in the [T20] World Cup squad. Instead of focusing on my present matches, I started thinking about the World Cup. In the end, I missed out on both. That experience was a turning point. It taught me the value of focusing on the present, a lesson reinforced when an injury sidelined me for six to eight months. That phase taught me a lot about being grateful. Sometimes, in the pursuit of something extraordinary, we forget to appreciate what we already have. And these are not my words--Shah Rukh Khan told me this," Iyer said to Boria Majumdar on Backstage with Boria season 6.
Venkatesh had a fantastic IPL season 2021, making his debut for KKR. In 10 matches, he made 370 runs at an average of 41.11 and a strike rate of 128.47, with four fifties. He also took three wickets with his useful medium pace.
A fine IPL season brought Venkatesh to the senior team as he made his debut in November 2021 as star all-rounder Hardik Pandya struggled through injuries and needed someone to back him up. In nine T20Is and seven innings, he made 133 runs at an average of 33.25, with a strike rate of over 162 and best score of 35*, picked up five wickets. In two ODIs, he scored 24 runs in two innings, with best score of 22. He has not played a game for India since February 2022.
In 51 matches for KKR, he has made 1,326 runs at an average of 31.57 and a strike rate of over 137, with a century and 11 fifties in 49 innings to his name. His best score is 104. He has also taken three wickets.
During the title-winning season of 2024, Venkatesh played a key hand with his 370 runs in 13 innings at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 158.79, with four half-centuries. His best score was 70. He was the third-highest run-getter for KKR and scored half-century in playoffs and the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
