KKR Receives Harsh 'Overpaid' Criticism as Venkatesh Iyer Bidding Branded 'Desperate': 'Comparing to KL Rahul, It's Enormous'

Arriving late to an IPL auction typically doesn't lead to a heated bidding war, but Venkatesh defied expectations by drawing interest from three different teams. Kolkata Knight Riders found themselves in a fierce battle with Lucknow Super Giants for his services. Just when KKR thought they had secured him for a steal at INR 7.75 crore, Royal Challengers Bengaluru swooped in to disrupt their plans. After a tense back-and-forth, KKR ultimately secured the all-rounder for a whopping INR 23.75 crore, making him the fourth-most expensive player at the auction and the third-most expensive at the mega auction held in Jeddah.

Speaking on JioCinema, Morgan, who had taken KKR to the IPL final in 2020, praised Venkatesh's cricketing prowess and admitted him being an integral part of the franchise, but reckoned that they overpaid.

"There's a lot to like about him - a left-handed batter can bat anywhere in your top five. Obviously, he has been an integral part of the Knight Riders set-up for some time now, and we normally see this sort of supply and demand for the type of player that Venkatesh is in a mini-auction. I didn't think we'd see it today, but to go for 23.75 is massive over, in my opinion, for the type of player that he is considering. When the likes of KL Rahul only go for 14, you would say two completely different types of players and different accomplishments in many ways," the ODI World Cup-winning captain said.

"I would say you've paid way over. But it was a case of two teams that were absolutely desperate for him. The men in purple and gold oversee RCB. They're just one of a number of teams that have outbid ORCB today. But he is a fine player. I think when I played alongside him, I was in his first real breakthrough year in the IPL," he added.

Kolkata spent 29.35 crore at the mega auction so far, roping in just three players. Besides Venkatesh, they bagged two wicketkeeper-batters in Quinton de Kock, for INR 3.60 crore, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, for INR 2 crore. Like Venkatesh, Gurbaz too was part of their squad in the previous season, and they acquired him at his base price.