Venky is a good batter – How RCB planned to snap up Venkatesh Iyer's services for IPL 2026

Last year at the auction, RCB went all guns blazing to secure Venkatesh Iyer's services, almost willing to splash INR 23 crore for the hard-hitting all-rounder. However, KKR managed to gazump him in the dying embers of the paddle-war. This year in the mini-auction, RCB had their priorities sorted. When the discussions hit the table for a talented Indian batter, the first pick was that of Kartik Sharma.

But then as auctions would go, nothing is assured and nothing is certain. So every team comes in with their main plan and then there is a secondary plan and a secondary-to-secondary plan. The auction dynamics dictate that a team should be well prepared to find alternates in case if things go downhill.

As said before, RCB’s initial plan was to get hold of Kartik Sharma, the explosive middle-order batter from Rajasthan. However, in the build-up to the mini-auction, there new variables in the horizon which were discussed. After careful deliberation, a name surfaced: Iyer.

In the latest episode of RCB’s auction planning, Dinesh Karthik made it clear that RCB needed to think about their purse and proceed accordingly. Of course, the initial talks were about Kartik Sharma. However, with variables like which round he will be coming up and with KKR and CSK possessing a bigger purse than RCB had, things looked extremely tricky.

The discussions also rotated around the fact that the money for the Indian batter might have to be reassessed considering that RCB had all-in plans for Mangesh Yadav. Karthik further added that another major exponent that topped the discussions about when Kartik might just come on was that KKR’s purse was more than enough to land Sharma. DK made it clear that the moment KKR would enter the war to land the young wicket-keeper batter, it can very well be game over for RCB on that particular pick.

That is when the narrative started shifting to the menacing all-rounder, Venkatesh Iyer. The first words were that last year KKR was willing to splurge INR 23 crore behind the southpaw. Given his all-round flair, Venky might just be a fine addition to the squad this year. The discussions intensified around Venky and eventually realizing that trying to snap up Kartik Sharma looked a lot shakier than landing Iyer.

Andy Flower immediately emphasized on the fact that Venkatesh Iyer brings in all-round calibre. He said, “Even someone bowling one over of seam helps a lot. It takes pressure off one another bowler. One over, that’s important.”

Mo Bobat, RCB’s Director of Cricket, said, “My main reason to opt for Venky is that he is a good batter.”

Malo then offered the ultimate number stating INR 8.75 for Venkatesh Iyer. RCB bagged Venkatesh Iyer for INR 7 crore in the mini-auction.