Whether I'm paid Rs 23 crore or...,: Venkatesh on living up to reputation of hefty price tag

Kolkata broke the bank and shelled out Rs 23.75 crore to acquire his services and handed him the task of serving as captain Ajinkya Rahane's deputy. In the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Venkatesh returned to his prolific scoring ways in their last fixture against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He had kicked off his campaign in the cash-rich league with a string of low scores. In his first two outings for the Knight Riders, he registered just 3 and 6 before breaking the shackles at the Eden Gardens against Hyderabad.

Venkatesh upped the ante and fired a blistering 60 from 29 deliveries at a rollicking strike rate of 206.90, studded with seven boundaries and three towering maximums, which laid the foundation of KKR's victory.

While filling in the crucial role in the middle order, managing the leadership duties and handling the pressure of the hefty price tag associated with him, Venkatesh is focused on delivering for the defending champions.

"To be honest, I'm not ignoring it completely--I'm a practical person. I know there's pressure, and there's a lot of talk around the price and all those things. But at the same time, that's not in my control. What is in my control is the effort I put in to help the team win, and that remains constant whether I'm paid Rs 23 crore or Rs 20 lakh," he said on JioHotstar's special show.

"Once the tournament begins, that's my only focus: to contribute in every way I cannot just with the bat and ball, but in my new leadership role as well. Everything else will take care of itself," he added.

With a few new faces in the squad and slight changes in management, KKR is striving hard to keep the winning momentum on their side. As Gautam Gambhir departed the Knight Riders camp to take up a role with the Indian team, DJ Bravo stepped in to fill the vacant team mentor's role.

Venkatesh feels that while there has been no change in the atmosphere of the dressing room, it is up to the players to make the most of the opportunity and learn from Bravo's wealth of knowledge.

"DJ Bravo brings a lot of experience. As the most capped T20 player in the world, he obviously has a wealth of knowledge. Behind that fun element and enjoyment, he also has a tactically very smart brain. So, I think it's on us to make use of it. Obviously, as players, we want to learn a lot from coaches," he said.

"If you want to grow in your career, you have to learn from them. Gautam sir also had a very intense phase, but he was tactically very strong and kept the atmosphere of the dressing room very comfortable. The same comfortable atmosphere is still there, and I am very excited to play under DJ," he added.