Updated 27 May 2025 at 18:33 IST
IPL 2025: 'Leave KKR Please' - Rs. 23.75 Crore Star Venkatesh Iyer Trolled on Instagram Despite 'Lessons We'll Carry' Post
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders endured a difficult IPL 2025 campaign, finishing 8th and failing to qualify for the play-offs - with Venkatesh Iyer among the many underperformers.
Advertisement
Venkatesh Iyer had an IPL 2025 season to forget. | Image:
ANI
The 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League was a forgettable one for the Kolkata Knight Riders, despite the fact they came into the season as IPL champions.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led squad could only manage and 8th place finish in the IPL 2025 points table, leaving many to wonder how the champions had such a huge fall from grace.
One of the key reasons for KKR's struggles was the fact that their key players from last season did not fire - including vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer.
The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder was brought in for an eye-watering Rs. 23.75 crore fee in the IPL 2025 auction but had an absolutely terrible season for the Men in Purple.
Which is why it was no surprise when he was on the receiving end of some brutal trolling by fans on the internet.
Iyer's Instagram Post Trolled
Venkatesh put out a heartfelt Instagram post with the caption “Hard season. Big hearts. Lessons we’ll carry forever. #amikkr”.
However, many saw this as an opportunity to remind the southpaw of his poor performances - as well as his exorbitant price tag.
"Wastage of 23.75 cr... Biggest reason KKR flop this year despite defending champions... I am Kolkata person... Not a franchise person to say hello... Say... Good-bye from KKR," said one fan.
"Leave KKR please," came another more direct response.
"Leave my beautiful franchise and comeback with less price," said yet another fan, offering a logical choice for KKR should they want to lessen his salary.
That being said, there were a number of posts backing Venkatesh to come back stronger in the 2026 season.
Will KKR Release Iyer?
However, there is every chance that comeback might have to be for another franchise.
Reports suggest that Venkatesh is one of the players top management are extremely unhappy with, and head coach Chandrakant Pandit is also under the scanner.
Given KKR can free up a significant bit of their budget by releasing Iyer, it would not come as a shock to see him put up for sale.
Published 27 May 2025 at 18:32 IST