Kolkata Knight Riders‘ premium signing, Venkatesh Iyer, found himself at the receiving end of fan outrage following a disappointing performance against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Eden Gardens on April 21. The left-handed batter, who was roped in for a staggering INR 23.75 crore during the IPL mega auction, failed to deliver once again—prompting a wave of harsh criticism online.
Venkatesh Iyer’s slow knock derails KKR’s chase
Chasing a challenging target of 199, Iyer looked completely out of rhythm and failed to provide any momentum during the Powerplay. He crawled to 14 runs from 19 balls at a strike rate of just 73.68, failing to hit even a single boundary. The slow knock increased pressure on the batting unit and eventually played a role in derailing KKR’s chase.
On a surface where timing the ball wasn’t easy, Iyer was expected to anchor the innings before unleashing, but his hesitance and failure to capitalize on matchups—especially against R Sai Kishore—became a talking point.
Fans troll Iyer for below-par performance against GT
Iyer’s slow innings meant the likes of Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, and Ramandeep Singh were forced to wait longer before coming in to bat—limiting their impact in a high-stakes chase. His inability to rotate strike or break free ultimately allowed the Titans’ bowlers to tighten the screws.
Also READ: IPL 2025: KKR fans erupt in anger as Ajinkya Rahane’s side surrenders to Gujarat Titans in a disappointing defeat
Fans did not hold back, taking to social media with memes, sarcastic comments, and even calling him a “23.75 crore fraud”—a direct reference to his auction price tag. Many questioned whether the hefty investment was justified based on his recent form.
Here is how fans reacted:
Some KKR fans still defending fraud Venkatesh Iyer, our fanbase is at all time low 🤡 pic.twitter.com/3eHMfFlPgr
— atif.reds (@atifreds) April 21, 2025
KKR fans, did you notice?
The moment Venkatesh Iyer walked in, the boundaries dried up. Before that, Rahane and Narine were finding the fence with ease.
Time to move on from the ₹23.75 Cr fraud before he drags KKR down any further. pic.twitter.com/RIgcKOahks
— StarcyKKR (@StarcKKR) April 21, 2025
How on earth this fraud managed to get 25cr kkr management is so dumb 🤣🤣 #KKRvsGT #venkateshiyer pic.twitter.com/12gLgGmw1C
— RAPA 💥 (@ashokpubgtw) April 21, 2025
Venkatesh Iyer according to Venky Mysore
#KKRvsGT pic.twitter.com/3mR1xS0TiK— SM (@dickjorsey) April 21, 2025
Venkatesh iyer today 😹🤡#venkateshiyer #KKRvGT pic.twitter.com/ytyf0ruOse
— Mohit Kamal Rath (@mkr4411) April 21, 2025
#KKR lost this season the day they purchased VENKATESH IYER at ₹24cr….#IPL2025 #KKRvGT #KKRvsGT #GTvsKKR #GTvKKR #IPL
— Ayan (@Aayan0999) April 22, 2025
Most relavant player VENKATESH IYER retained for 21 crs 😹
— Eswar (@Vamsi3626586) April 22, 2025
Another biggest fraud of this season KKR spend 23cr on him but is he actually deserve that much money?? Obviously not. Shreyas need to be retain but instead of him your guys retained the fraud Venkatesh Iyer so you got what you deserve.#KKRvGT #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/rJ7vYaeFvN
— Akshya Bhoi (@akshyab35) April 22, 2025
What made KKR think Venkatesh Iyer was worth ₹23.75 crore? I just don’t get it.#KKRvsGT pic.twitter.com/TmRGhLPUin
— Biswatosh Sinha (@biswatosh) April 21, 2025
KKR paid Venkatesh Iyer ₹23.75 crore to:
– Kill our title defense
– Torture us with brain-dead batting and clownish fielding
– Trigger collapses and ruin momentum
– Keep KKR fans in weekly depression#KKRvsGT— Pathan bhai (@pathan0339) April 21, 2025
Venkatesh Iyer 23.75 crore fraud…
😁#KKRvsGT pic.twitter.com/SPZWJVWS5r— Arjun 🕉 (@Thakur_Sahab_21) April 21, 2025
Venkatesh Iyer Out on 14 Runs in 19 Balls, while Chasing the 199 Runs. KKR buy him 23.75 Crore in Mega Auction. Wastage of 23.75 Crore by KKR. #KKRvsGT
— VIKAS (@VikasYadav69014) April 21, 2025
Did Venkatesh Iyer deserve 23.75 crores? #KKRvsGT Such poor batting performance. Rahane bought who was bought for 2 crore that to during last session of auction. My opinion is that he is overrated.
— Kabeer (@kabeeraa13) April 21, 2025
Venkatesh Iyer has been piss poor. Said this at the auction as well, 23.75 crore was never worth it. He has failed to deceive this season. Time and time again the pressure has been created at the other batter because of his inability to strike big.
— Vishesh Roy (@vroy38) April 21, 2025
With the business end of the season approaching, Kolkata will be hoping for a turnaround in form from Iyer, who has so far failed to live up to expectations. The team’s campaign could hinge on how their big-money player responds to growing scrutiny and pressure from both fans and experts.
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