Venkatesh Iyer is bought by the defending champions for Rs 7 crore.
Venkatesh Iyer is now part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru after an intense bidding at the IPL mini-auction in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The defending champions bought him for Rs 7 crore.
Venkatesh's auction started quietly before turning into a proper bidding battle. Lucknow Super Giants opened the bidding at Rs 2 crore, with Gujarat Titans joining in as the price went up slightly to Rs 2.20 crore.
LSG then raised the bid to Rs 2.80 crore, after which Gujarat pulled out. At that stage, it looked like Iyer might be sold for a relatively low amount, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru stepped in and pushed the bid to Rs 3.40 crore.
Kolkata Knight Riders, Iyer’s former team, quickly responded by raising it to Rs 3.60 crore. The bids then went back and forth — RCB went to Rs 3.80 crore, KKR matched it at Rs 4 crore, before Bengaluru made a big jump to Rs 5.80 crore.
KKR stayed in briefly but eventually dropped out, unable to match RCB’s final offer. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally signed the spin-bowling all-rounder for Rs 7 crore after a bidding contest that picked up sharply towards the end.
'Left-hand fire and fearless intent. A big stage performer, Venkatesh Iyer, brings explosive top-order power and all-around punch. He’s that kind of player who shifts momentum, FAST. Welcome to RCB, Venkatesh Iyer,' Royal Challengers Bengaluru wrote on their X handle.
Venkatesh has scored 1,468 runs in the IPL, playing for KKR, with his best season being 2023 with 404 runs. His dip in form in 2025 (142 runs) saw him being released by the franchise before the IPL 2026 auction.
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