“I thought he was someone with a lot of attitude” - Abhishek Nayar reveals his first impression on Venkatesh Iyer

Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batting all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer would be a hot pick in the forthcoming IPL 2026 mini-auction, scheduled to take place on Tuesday, December 16. Ahead of the mini-auction, KKR's new head coach Abhishek Nayar made an interesting revelation.

Speaking exclusively on Doordarshan’s The Great Indian Cricket Show, Nayar has revealed that Iyer walked into the KKR trials with swagger and added that he never looked at us or tried to please anyone.

Picked back by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2025 mega auction for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore, Iyer is only the second Indian to set a base price of Rs 2 crore ahead of the upcoming mini–auction.

“I actually picked him because of his attitude. On day one, Venkatesh Iyer walked in with swagger; he performed, but he never looked at us or tried to please anyone. I thought he was someone with a lot of attitude,” Nayar said on Doordarshan's The Great Indian Cricket Show.

Iyer had a good maiden IPL season in 2021, accumulating 370 runs from 10 innings, including four fifties. Moreover, he scalped three wickets at an average of 23 with the ball in hand..

“On day two, we gave him a game. In the final over, when our bowler cramped, Venky shouted from the boundary, ‘I will bowl the last over’. He bowled and conceded 18 runs, but what I loved was his willingness to face adversity,” he recalled.

“The trial mattered less to him than proving to himself that he was doing the right thing. That conviction stayed with me,” he added.

Iyer has not been at his best in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025-26. In seven games, he has amassed only 111 runs at an average of 22.20 and a strike rate of 103.73.

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