The Venkatesh Iyer Conundrum: A Bad Investment or Just Stocks Down? Here's A Look at Answers to Questions Around KKR's INR 23.75 Crore Purchase

As Venkatesh Iyer desperately went for the slog sweep against Sai Kishore, he was praying by all means that the ball gets enough elevation to clear the gap, or just it lands in a gap and makes its way to the boundary. But to his despair, it did none. The deep mid-wicket fielder settled to take a simple catch and it was end of an innings Venkatesh would like to forget. A 19-ball 14, highly mismatched with his reputation. Also, the innings coming after a failure which resulted in his team Kolkata Knight Riders failing to chase down 112 at Mullanpur just made it worse. Questions were booming all around. Was 23.75 Crore justified?슬롯 머신 사이트 추천Venkatesh Iyer Funny Memes Go Viral After Kolkata Knight Riders Vice-Captain Falls Cheaply Again During DC vs KKR IPL 2025 Match.

Venkatesh Iyer will never forget that exact amount. The amount which opened new fortunes for him. But at the same time brought curse to his career which was supposed to see a jump in the IPL 2025. When KKR and RCB were fighting fiercely in the bidding war for him, fans were in awe. Why him? Just 4 seasons into his IPL career, precisely 3.5, it was unfathomable that he went for such a high amount over successful individuals in IPL. Specially with not much international experience behind him. KKR won the bid and looked happy. They surely saw something in him? But what exactly?

Nearing the business end of the IPL 2025 fans are still asking the same question. Rather, they are closer to assert that the move was a wrong one and costed them their settled, champion core. Players like Phil Salt, Shreyas Iyer or Mitchell Starc. After ten matches, Venkatesh has only 142 runs on the board. About 105 of which came in just two games. In this article, we will look and re-asses why KKR went hard for Venkatesh Iyer, his technique, his right entry points, his position and a potential future with KKR and in IPL.

Venkatesh Iyer and KKR: Journey So Far

After doing well for Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy as opener, Venkatesh Iyer was picked by KKR in the IPL 2021 auction. He made his debut in the UAE leg of the IPL with seven games to go and he scored 370 runs in the remaining 10 games including the playoffs as KKR made it to the final and also scored a half-century in the final. The performance gave him a retention slot for the next mega auction. Since then, in three seasons, Venkatesh has scored 182, 404 and 370 runs in three seasons of IPL for KKR. In IPL 2024, when KKR became the champion for the third time, Venkatesh scored half-centuries in the Qualifier 1 and in the final. He also has a stupendous record against KKR's nemesis MI, where he has scored 365 runs in 7 matches played so far with an average of 60.83 and strike rate of 160.08. He also has a IPL century against MI which was KKR's first century in 16 years since the IPL started.

Why KKR Values Venkatesh Iyer So Much?

KKR has been a team in the IPL who have valued team culture as the star of their team instead of individual stars. KKR's iconic captain and mentor Gautam Gambhir, who led them to three titles, always represented the winning mentality and a team-first attitude. Venkatesh Iyer represents the same. At the top of the order, in several crisis situations he has shown intent and the will to counter-attack, being fearless. He has rarely bogged down under pressure. In IPL 2024, twice he has faced a tough situation facing the likes of Jasprit Bumrah under collapse from one end. Even then he has challenged Bumrah and hit him for boundaries. His ability to withstand pressure can be seen by his record in the play-offs. His ability to attack instantly, hit back at big-name bowlers and constantly accelerate when settle in, paired up with his long livers and strong wrists have made KKR consider him as an asset. Given he is also a highly educated person, KKR values his quick-thinking prowess and practical knowledge, considering him as a leadership option for the future.

Venkatesh Iyer: Best Batting Position

The failures in the IPL 2025 while batting at number five has made fans question Venkatesh Iyer's batting position. Is it really the best time for him to come? A dive into the memory shows fans that the best innings of Venkatesh Iyer always came while playing at number three or opening the batting. Venkatesh loves to start in the powerplay where he dances down to seamers early hitting them down the ground. Just when they get back of length, he immediately deposits them over fine leg or mid-wicket. But memory always doesn't serve us rightly. So we will take a look at the data.슬롯 머신 사이트 추천IPL 2025: KKR슬롯사이트�s Venkatesh Iyer Reflects on Handling Hefty Price Tag Baggage Ahead of LSG Clash, Says 슬롯사이트�Rs 23 Crore or 20 Lakh; My Efforts Remains Constant슬롯사이트�.

Venkatesh Iyer at Number Three

Batting at number three since his debut. Venkatesh Iyer as 562 runs from 15 innings at an average of 43.23 and strike rate of 168.77. That is the third highest in the list of all the batters playing at number three since IPL 2021. By average, he is just the fifth, but only three in the top five have played more than ten games and the two others barring Venkatesh who played for than ten games at three are Sai Sudharsan and Cameron Green. Among KKR batters in this period, he has been comfortably the best. Better than Nitish Rana or Shreyas Iyer who played at number three for KKR during that period.

Venkatesh Iyer in Other Positions

Venkatesh Iyer in other positions have been modest at best. As an opener in IPL he has scored 556 runs in 22 innings at an average of 27.80 and strike rate of 122.20. In middle order, positions four, five and six, he has played only 9 games and scored only 194 runs at an average of 24.25 and strike rate of 114.21. Clearly the numbers show that he has struggled to crack those position unlike number three and if a team has highly invested in him, the position to try him his number three.

Venkatesh Iyer: Entry Point

In modern T20s, entry point is a popular term. It is used to identify the right time for a batter to come in, considering the bowlers that have already bowled, the venue and conditions, the bowlers that are yet to come and how much risk the batter can afford given the players coming after him. The correct entry point in a over block decides how much a batter can accelerate from there on.

We will use X user슬롯 머신 사이트 추천@arnav1204aj's entry point analyser toolkit for this. It shows that against a team with three spinners and three pacers at a neutral venue, Venkatesh Iyer should come to the crease in overs one, two or three. That is the best point of him entering. His best acceleration have come in those positions.

Entry Point Analyser Tool

The same toolkit for batting order shows that if Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi are part of a top four, Venkatesh Iyer should open the batting, which is his best acceleration opportunity. Clearly shows that data suggests Venkatesh Iyer should be a part of top three and not the middle order.

Venkatesh Iyer: Against Pace and Spin

Against 686 deliveries faced against pace, Venkatesh Iyer has scored 686 runs at an average of 31.39 and average of 141.84. At number three, the average and strike rate against pace becomes 44.22 and strike rate 175. 33, comfortably best among the KKR batters. Considering IPL, since 2021, this is just the second-best average after Suryakumar Yadav and the best strike rate against pace in the league at number three.

In the middle order (4, 5 and 6), Venkatesh Iyer has 115 runs off 81 deliveries, average of 28.75 and strike rate of 141. 98.

Against 381 deliveries faced against spin, Venkatesh Iyer has scored 493 runs at an average of 27.39 and strike rate 136.14. Batting at number three, his average becomes 41 and the strike rate goes upto 154.72. Considering IPL numbers at the same period of time, his strike rate against spin at three is just second to Rajat Patidar among players who have played more than ten games there and his average is fourth best among players who have played ten or more games at three.

In the middle order (4, 5 and 6), Venkatesh Iyer has just 79 runs off 89 deliveries with average of 19.75 and strike rate of 88.76 against spin.

Intent vs Reliability of Venkatesh Iyer Against Pace and Spin

The numbers show that Venkatesh Iyer is more dominant against pace than against spin. But batting in number three, when he has started against pace and is well set, he accelerates against spin in the middle overs. But when he starts in the middle overs against spin, he almost guarantees a failure. Which has been the case with him in IPL 2025.

Venkatesh Iyer: Technique and Economy of Movement

Venkatesh Iyer uses a technique which is unorthodox and popularly known among coaches as economy of movement. In this type of movement, the batter doesn't move to much, they just get forward enough or backward enough to shift their weight and then their hands go through the ball. But this little but crucial weight transfer is necessary for the execution of the shots. Otherwise, they can lose balance and specially the weight of the heaviest part of the body, the head, can fall on either side, leading to a poor shot.

What is Economy of Movement?

Venkatesh Iyer Batting Gears

Calypso Flair

Venkatesh uses this technique and that is why his technique looks unfamiliar sometimes. It is necessary for him to keep his weight consciously forward while taking stance, specially against spin, so that while playing the shots, he doesn't spoon the ball due to having too much weight on the backfoot. Starting against spin can be harmful for him because spin pushes batters into backfoot and that is why when the ball is in range, he is struggling to get under the ball in terms of weight. If he continues to play in the middle order, he will need to fix his batting gears.

Venkatesh Iyer: Future and What is Next?

There are still a few games in the IPL 2025 where he can try his best to crack the number four and five spot. Although it poses a difficult challenge to him, his India aspirations can have a realistic chance if he can really do well in those positions. But according to his current technique and past numbers, Venkatesh's best position is number three. He has tried and failed to adapt at other spots. He can really impact the game hard batting at three, much better than some other players but in other positions he is worse than the average. If KKR really rely on their investment of money, they have to find him space on number three.

Batting at four and five, Venkatesh will have to start against spin and at the same time, he won't have the cushion of wickets to go hard. Both act as an kryptonite for him tying him up and forcing him to make the wrong move. Form issues can be resolved with tweaks in batting position and technique. An investment being bad or just temporarily down depends on the investor and his goals. Venkatesh in KKR is no different. His usage will decide his future in the franchise, which is bright if conditions applied and also not if conditions are not applied.슬롯 머신 사이트 추천IPL 2025: Eoin Morgan Reflects on Kolkata Knight Riders All-Rounder Venkatesh Iyer슬롯사이트�s Blitz vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Says 슬롯사이트�It Could Kickstart His Campaign슬롯사이트�.

In the worst case, this season might be the last for him in KKR. With someone like Cameron Green likely to be available in the next mini auction, KKR will explore the possibility of releasing him and freeing up the funds and look to get a more sustainable batting order where the other players get to play at their best positions. For now, the future is uncertain. The next few games can be a deciding factor.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 01, 2025 05:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).