NEW DELHI: Venkatesh Iyer emerged as one of Royal Challengers Bengaluru's marquee buys at the IPL mini auction, with the franchise snapping up the pace-bowling all-rounder for Rs 7 crore. However, former RCB captain Anil Kumble believes Iyer may have to wait for his opportunity, suggesting that he might not feature in the playing XI during the early stages of the tournament.

RCB had earlier locked horns with Kolkata Knight Riders - Iyer's former team - in a competitive bidding battle before eventually sealing the deal for the all-rounder. The defending champions were active throughout the auction and further strengthened their squad by bringing in the likes of Jacob Duffy and Mangesh Yadav at the event held on December 16 in Abu Dhabi.

"Venkatesh Iyer will not be in the playing eleven at the start. You do not want to create doubt in a winning team. That is probably why they did not go after a Ravi Bishnoi, so that Suyash Sharma does not feel threatened by a senior India spinner," JioStar expert Kumble said.

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"RCB thought they might get outbid, but they did not, so they are happy to have Venkatesh Iyer."

Kumble, who led RCB to the IPL final in 2009 and later took over as the franchise's chief mentor in 2011, said the team had done well to retain the core of their title-winning squad.

"They (RCB) have done well to keep the core the same, back their players, and just have a few backups in case something goes wrong.

"Jacob Duffy will be a backup for Josh Hazlewood, and Jordan Cox is a like-for-like replacement for Phil Salt. Mangesh Yadav comes in as a backup for Yash Dayal. He is a left-arm seamer with a lot of potential, though he has not played much cricket."

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar also suggested that there could be uncertainty over whether Iyer would slot straight into RCB's playing XI at the start of the season.

"Venkatesh Iyer had a lot of eyes on him since last season. He has been consistent and you can see his confidence. Dinesh Karthik, the batting coach, and Malolan Rangarajan, who scouts talent for RCB, have a good option in him.

"Will he be in the playing eleven right away? There is some doubt, as this is a settled team. They wanted left-handers and got them. They can adjust Venkatesh in the eleven, like they did with Krunal Pandya last season. Krunal played well, so the lack of a top spinner was not felt. Suyash Sharma had a good season."

Head coach Andy Flower expressed his happiness at acquiring Iyer for RCB.

"Venkatesh Iyer has strong leadership qualities. That is great to have in the dressing room and on the field. We are happy to get him and I look forward to working with him. When you plan well and have a good strategy, you know your limits.

"I think KKR had a little extra money left in their purse after purchasing Cameron Green. They were probably betting some of it on Venkatesh Iyer because they had some money left, but in the end, we ended up acquiring Venkatesh and we are really happy with it."

(With PTI Inputs)