Since joining the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, opportunities in the starting XI have been scarce for Venkatesh Iyer. RCB were a champion side last season, and successful teams tend not to tinker with the combination. Iyer was benched through the early stages of the season before making an impact as a substitute against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
Due to injuries and in an attempt to tweak combinations for the Raipur conditions, RCB later drafted Iyer in as a starter. On Friday against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Iyer smashed a 19-ball 44 as an opener, albeit in a defeat, pursuing a tall 256-run target. In their previous game against the Punjab Kings, Iyer played in the middle order, replacing the injured skipper Rajat Patidar and smashed 73 off 40 balls to win Player of the Match.
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“Look, I’ve got a lot of respect for Venky,” said RCB head coach Andy Flower after a 55-run loss to SRH on Friday.
“He’s had to wait for his chance. And every time he’s had a chance, either as an impact player when we’ve needed the extra batsmen because we’ve got ourselves into some trouble in the innings or in the last two matches when he’s been given a chance, first at number four in Dharamsala and then today opening the batting, he’s taken all of those chances. So, his attitude through the season has been outstanding,” Flower added.
The waiting game has been particularly frustrating for the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder. “I’d lie if I said that I was not frustrated or did not want to play. I really wanted to go out there and play because for players like us, it’s the opportunity to play in the IPL. We want to play, we want to do well,” Iyer had said earlier.
Despite the limited game time, Iyer’s work ethic received rich praise from Flower. “He’s played a lot of IPL cricket, played for India and was sitting on the sidelines waiting for his chance. He’s been in that dugout. He’s had a big smile on his face all the time.”
“He’s practised hard every single practise session. He’s worked hard. He’s worked hard at his bowling, his fielding and his batting. And he’s been exemplary, to be honest. So, a lot of respect for him. Thank you so much for your questions,” Flower added added.
Iyer had gone for a monumental Rs 23.75 crores last year to the Kolkata Knight Riders, a franchise with whom he shot into the limelight in 2021 and played an important role in their title-winning campaign in 2024.
The massive price did take its toll on him last year, before RCB snapped him up for Rs 7 crore.
“They’ve welcomed me very well. Obviously, it’s a very professional setup and the cricket part of it, the management, is just unbelievable. All credit to Mo Bobat and DK, the way they have taken care of the boys, it’s just unbelievable. On top of that, the brand of cricket that RCB plays is something that excites me a lot,” Iyer said.
