Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) head coach Andy Flower expressed his satisfaction with the acquisition of Venkatesh Iyer, highlighting his leadership qualities ahead of IPL 2026.
In the recent mini-auction, RCB reinforced their championship squad by securing Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, and Mangesh Yadav. RCB signed Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 7 crore after Kolkata Knight Riders withdrew from the bidding. This marked a significant contrast to last year’s auction, where KKR secured him for a remarkable Rs 23.75 crore following a fierce bidding war.
“Venkatesh Iyer has strong leadership qualities. That is great to have in the dressing room and on the field. We are happy to get him and I look forward to working with him. When you plan well and have a good strategy, you know your limits,” Flower stated on JioStar.
Former India cricketer Anil Kumble outlined RCB’s key acquisitions, saying, “RCB thought they might get outbid, but they did not, so they are happy to have Venkatesh Iyer. Jacob Duffy will be a backup for Josh Hazlewood, and Jordan Cox is a like-for-like replacement for Phil Salt. Mangesh Yadav comes in as a backup for Yash Dayal. He is a left-arm seamer with a lot of potential, though he has not played much cricket.”
Discussing RCB’s strategy to maintain stability within their squad post-auction, Kumble added, “Venkatesh Iyer will not be in the playing eleven at the start. You do not want to create doubt in a winning team. That is probably why they did not go after a Ravi Bishnoi, so that Suyash Sharma does not feel threatened by a senior India spinner. They have done well to keep the core the same, back their players, and just have a few backups in case something goes wrong.”