Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter Venkatesh Iyer credited now-India head coach Gautam Gambhir for instilling the leadership qualities in him when the duo worked together at the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise. After leading KKR from 2011 to 2017, which included two IPL titles, Gambhir returned to the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise ahead of IPL 2024, guiding them to their third title earlier this year.
Iyer, who plays for Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket, got a chance to take the brains of two-time World Cup winner for just one season before the former India opener took up the job of Indian national team following Rahul Dravid’s resignation.
The time spent at KKR with Gambhir will remain special for the all-rounder as he got the license to voice his opinion. “I still remember Gautam Gambhir telling me that I have been with the franchise for four years, and if I think of something, I must voice my opinion for it will always have value. You feel very good when you are told this,” Iyer was quoted as saying to RevSportz.
The big moment in Iyer’s career came in the middle of IPL 2024 when vice-captain Nitish Rana missed a few games due to injury. Iyer was made Shreyas Iyer’s deputy. “When Nitish unfortunately got injured, I was appointed vice-captain and it was a huge moment in my career.
“Again, Gautam bhai always said to me that if I was standing at slip and Shreyas, our captain, was fielding deep, I should always take responsibility and change the field if I thought so. If I was seeing something and wanted to do an adjustment, I was always encouraged to do it.
“That’s what felt very empowering. And now, I have to say that whichever dressing room I walk into, be it Madhya Pradesh, KKR or any other team that decides to invest in me, I know I will be a leader in that set-up. Not necessarily the captain, but surely a leader whose words will be taken seriously,” added Iyer, who is KKR’s only IPL centurion after Brendon McCullum.
However, the 29-year-old wasn’t among the KKR’s six retentions ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction. The left-hander admitted getting teary-eyed but respected the franchise’s decisions. “KKR was not just a franchise I was playing for. It was like a family, and there are bonds that we have forged,” he added
“There are some serious relationships there, and I had some fantastic moments with the team. KKR had given me the opportunity, and I tried to make the most of what I got. You do feel a little teary-eyed at not seeing your name in that retention list, but you also understand the choices made. Each one retained deserves to be retained.
“I do hope that in the forthcoming auction, KKR will see value in putting up the paddle for me,” said Iyer. KKR retained Rinku Singh ( ₹13 crore), Varun Chakaravarthy ( ₹12 crore), Sunil Narine ( ₹12 crore), Andre Russell ( ₹12 crore), Harshit Rana ( ₹4 crore), and Ramandeep Singh ( ₹4 crore).
