Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Venkatesh Iyer testified to his prowess with a complete display in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) to help his Madhya Pradesh team qualify for the semi-finals.

Venkatesh, who recently saw his stock soar during last month’s Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) auction, definitely lived up to his lofty price tag in the domestic T20 tournament. The 29-year-old became the third most expensive buy at the Jeddah auction and the fourth highest in IPL history after KKR secured his services for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore.

Venkatesh is now taking all the right steps ahead of next year’s IPL by proving his usefulness in SMAT. During the quarter-final match between Madhya Pradesh and Saurashtra, Iyer remained unbeaten on 38* (33) to take MP to the finish line with ease in a chase of 174. Earlier, also with the ball, Venkatesh picked up two wickets of his 3 overs. while launching a relatively economical run of 7.7 that earned him the Player of the Match award.

Is Venkatesh Iyer the next KKR captain?

After KKR decided to splurge on Venkatesh Iyer, it is no secret that the club sees him as a future investment and, as expected, in a bigger role. The defending champions have the crucial task of finding their next leader ahead of IPL 2025 and Venkatesh is one of the favorites for the job.

Additionally, Iyer has spent four years with the KKR franchise and has worked under head coach Chandrakant Pandit during the latter’s stint with Madhya Pradesh.

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On the other hand, KKR decided to bring in dynamic Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who can also be a strong contender for the captaincy. Rahane has already led the Indian team and has experience captaining his state team Mumbai and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

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