Kolkata Knight Riders' Venkatesh Iyer Opens Up On Bond With Shah Rukh Khan, Calls Him "Elder Brother"

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer opened up on playing at the "temple" and team's home stadium of Eden Gardens, the prize tag pressure and his "elder brother" bond with team owner and Bollywood legend Shah Rukh Khan. KKR will kickstart their title defence journey in IPL 2025 with a highly-anticipated clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the 'OG Derby', which kickstarted the tournament back in 2008 during its inaugural edition.

Iyer will be one of the players in the spotlight as the deputy to skipper Ajinkya Rahane was bought back by KKR for a whopping Rs 23.75 crores. Over the years, he has delivered several notable performances for the Knights ever since his debut in 2021.

Venkatesh, on 'Backstage with Boria season six', told Boria Majumdar that the prize tag of Rs 23.75 crores does have pressure, but once the match starts, none of it matters, and his job remains the same, whether his price tag is Rs20 lakh or Rs20 crore.

"The IPL 2025 auction was a life-changing moment for me. The middle-class guy in me was very happy with the money! I would not lie. However, as the bidding war between KKR and RCB escalated, it brought a mix of emotions. One way to look at it is to feel happy that I have done something good in my career for teams to invest in me. Another way, which I think is the right one, is to realise that this comes with a lot of responsibility. If I say there is no pressure, I would be lying. Of course, there is pressure. And there has to be pressure. But once the match starts, none of it matters. Whether I am a Rs20 lakh player or a Rs20 crore player, my job remains the same"

On Shah Rukh Khan, Venkatesh said that the superstar