Former India cricketer Saba Karim has termed the decision to release Venkatesh Iyer by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a trademark move of KKR’s new coach Abhishek Nayar.
Karim, the JioStar expert, said on the TATA IPL Retention Show that the big decision was taken so that more purse is available to KKR in the auction for the IPL 2026.
“There is a strong possibility that KKR may buy him back. He was released at 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. This is a trademark Abhishek Nayar move because he always wants to start fresh.”
Venkatesh was bought by KKR for a huge price of INR 23.75 crore with huge expectations. However, he failed miserably and scored only 142 runs in 11 matches at an average of 20.29.
He could only manage one fifty-plus score in the whole tournament. Nayar, who worked as an assistant coach for KKR earlier, was made the head coach for the 2026 season, and the team management took some important decisions like releasing Venkatesh and Andre Russell under him.
Karim further explained Nayar’s work process: “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.”
The mini-auction for the IPL 2026 is all set to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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