"He's a utilitarian player" - Dinesh Karthik overjoyed on RCB signing Venkatesh Iyer

RCB's first purchase at the IPL 2026 Auction was that of all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who incidentally, the think-tank continued to bid post the 20 Crore mark at the Mega Auction too, only to lose out on his services at the end of the bidding war. At this year's mini auction, after some serious tug-of-war with Kolkata Knight Riders again, RCB successfully signed Iyer for INR 7 crore.

Talking in a video released on the team's social media channels, RCB’s mentor and batting coach, Dinesh Karthik, opened up gleefully on successfully roping in Iyer. He highlighted the calibre that Iyer brings in and how it aligns with the requirements for RCB.

Shedding light on the signing, DK said, “Welcome to RCB, the last mega auction we went and tried hard for you, but it took us a year to get you back. And interestingly, the same teams bid for you, but as a player, I think he's got all the skill sets that we are looking for. He can bat anywhere from 1-7. In case we require, he can give us an over or two as well. He's a utilitarian player who we looked at very seriously in the mega auction.”

He further added, “We stuck to our guns, we are stuck to our same processes. Still believe in the man Venkatesh Iyer because what he brings to the table is something very important for us. A left-handed batting option who can bat anywhere in the top 7 as I said. Very versatile. Good leader to have again in the team. Something that we look for. But most importantly, I feel he brings a lot of value in terms of a charming personality, a smile on his face as always, good sense of humor.”

DK concluded on a note of glee, stating, “And, and, and, we looked at you so seriously last year, couldn't get you, but this time we are so happy to have you.”

Iyer recently smashed a 43-ball-70 against Punjab in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy encounter for Madhya Pradesh, following up on a 3-wicket haul he took against Jharkhand as well.