Will KKR Buy Back Venkatesh Iyer? Ex-Cricketer Reveals Possible Strategy Ahead of IPL Auction

IPL Auction: With less than a week to go for the IPL auction, speculations are rife over who will bid for whom. Amid all these talks, former India cricketer Saba Karim, who knows KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar well, reckons the franchise may bid for Venkatesh Iyer again. As per Karim, there is a strong possibility that KKR may gun for him at a lower price. 

ALSO READ: Rohit Opens up on Bond With Kohli: 'We Have Seen a Lot of Setbacks'

‘Strong possibility that KKR may buy him back’

“There is a strong possibility that KKR may buy him back. He was released at INR 23 crores, which freed up a huge amount in their purse, and chances are high that he may not go for that much money now in the mini-auction," Karim said on JioHotstar.

“This is a trademark Abhishek Nayar move because he always wants to start fresh. He only keeps players he feels are part of a winning combination and will be regular in the playing eleven. The rest, he buys back in the auction. I think he will build his team that way. I’ve always seen Abhishek Nayar work like this. So I feel the KKR management believes that maybe Venkatesh Iyer has exhausted his utility, similar to how they valued Andre Russell for years," he added.

ALSO READ: Year-Ender 2025: Kolkata Pitch Row & Other Top Cricket Controversies

KKR's Remaining Purse

The Knights will enter the IPL auction with a Rs 64.30 crore purse, the highest among all ten teams. The problem here is that a massive purse at a mini auction does not guarantee success. It is clear that KKR plans to start from scratch and hence they would have a number of big names in their wishlist while heading to the auction table. For the unversed, with three titles to their name - KKR is one of the most successful franchises.