Kolkata Knight Riders’ mentor Dwayne Bravo has strongly defended the franchise’s decision to go all out for Venkatesh Iyer during the mega auction on Sunday.
Iyer became the third most expensive player at the auction when he was bought for ₹23.75 crore. Only Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer were more expensive — Pant was bought by LSG at ₹27 crore while Shreyas went to Punjab Kings for ₹26.75 crore.
“Getting Venky (Venkatesh) was one of the main priorities for us, as you could see, we went all out for him,” said Bravo, a four-time IPL winner with Chennai Super Kings.
“It’s good that we have 90 per cent of the players from the (2024) championship-winning team. That in itself is a positive sign.
“It’s important to keep your core because when you have to build from scratch, it becomes complicated to make combinations and all.
“We started planning while I was in Trinidad. We had come with a proper plan, the players we wanted to target,” added Bravo.
KKR has managed to keep nine of the players who played the IPL 2024 final against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Bravo was also excited that KKR roped in fiery pacer Umran Malik.
“The pace at which he operates, I always admire him... his work ethic, energy and all. Happy that we’re able to nail him down.”
KKR CEO Venky Mysore highlighted the value Rovman Powell would bring to the set-up, emphasising his extensive experience and leadership qualities.
“Rovman Powell, over the years, we have seen what he has done in the CPL, other leagues, and, of course, the IPL as well. He’s highly experienced, leads West Indies... that leadership experience, captaincy, and what he has achieved... all of it put together makes him really, really special. Great to have him in the side,” Mysore said.
“The think-tank’s unanimous view was to maintain the structure, which we have done. In certain areas, we have also improved and upgraded.”
