One of the biggest surprises from last season's Mega Auction was the massive bidding battle between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Venkatesh Iyer, which was settled with the former coming out on top to secure the left-hander's services for a staggering 23.75 Crores. Unfortunately for the franchise, Venkatesh Iyer underperformed massively and was consequently released.
Also Read: Venkatesh Iyer’s auction ends where few expected
So it was an even bigger surprise to see the same two teams engaging in a rematch in the IPL 2026 Mini Auction for the same player. This time, however, the victors were the defending Champions, RCB, who bought Iyer for 7 Crores. Which truly is a massive salary drop for the Madhya Pradesh batter.
RCB were notoriously called out by their own fanbase during last year's Auction phase as their buys seemed erratic and not thoroughly thought out. In the end, it was all a masterclass by the RCB management as the team they picked out went on to seal the mouths of all their haters shut on their way to winning their first title in 18 years.
Now, after spending almost half of their Auction Purse for a position they already have covered with names like Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, etc., where does Venkatesh Iyer fit in?
Was spending 7 Cr on Iyer, who had a disastrous IPL 2025, a blunder or a masterclass? Could RCB have saved up that money and instead invested in the bowling department, something that RCB have struggled with forever?
The only way for these questions to get answered is to see what the RCB management has in store next. The glaring requirement of quality backup in the bowling department will surely play on the back of their minds. But spending so much on Venky Iyer could come back to bite them.
