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RCB's Andy Flower Praises Venkatesh Iyer's Leadership After Strategic Auction Win

RCB head coach Andy Flower expressed his delight at acquiring all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 7 crore, highlighting the player's strong leadership qualities as a key asset for the team. The acquisition came after a much more subdued bidding contest compared to the previous year, with KKR ultimately bowing out. Anil Kumble detailed RCB's thoughtful auction strategy, noting that new signings like Iyer are initially seen as backups to avoid disrupting a winning team's core. The franchise focused on maintaining stability, securing specific role players to support their primary squad without creating internal competition.

Key Points: RCB's Andy Flower on Venkatesh Iyer's Leadership & IPL 2026 Strategy

  • Strategic Rs 7 crore buy
  • Leadership qualities praised
  • Maintaining squad stability
  • Backup roles defined by Kumble
2 min read

He has strong leadership qualities: RCB Andy Flower happy to aquire Venkatesh Iyer

RCB coach Andy Flower explains the strategic acquisition of Venkatesh Iyer, praising his leadership, while Anil Kumble details the squad's careful planning.

"Venkatesh Iyer has strong leadership qualities. That is great to have in the dressing room and on the field. - Andy Flower"

Mumbai, Dec 26

Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower expressed his happiness at acquiring Venkatesh Iyer and praised his leadership qualities ahead of the IPL 2026.

The mini-auction saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru bolster their championship squad by securing Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy and Mangesh Yadav. RCB snapped up Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 7 crore after Kolkata Knight Riders withdrew from the bidding, bringing an end to a far more restrained contest than last year, when the two franchises were locked in a fierce auction battle that saw KKR secure him for a staggering Rs 23.75 crore.

"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.

"I think KKR had a little extra money left in their purse after purchasing Cameron Green. They were probably betting some of it on Venkatesh Iyer because they had some money left, but in the end, we ended up acquiring Venkatesh and we are really happy with it," Flower said on JioStar.

Former India cricketer Anil Kumble detailed RCB's key acquisitions and said, "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."

On RCB's careful strategy to maintain stability within their squad after the auction, Kumble said, "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."

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Sarah B
Interesting strategy by RCB to focus on squad stability. Kumble's point about not threatening Suyash Sharma by going for Bishnoi shows good man-management. But I wonder if Venkatesh will get enough game time if he's not in the starting XI.
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Ananya R
Finally some sensible auction strategy from RCB! No more emotional overbidding. Flower and the management seem to have a clear plan. Venkatesh's leadership will be valuable, especially with an Indian core. Ee saala cup namde? 🤞
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Vikram M
Respectfully, I have to disagree with Kumble's analysis. If Venkatesh Iyer is not in the playing eleven, then spending 7 crore on a bench player is a luxury. That money could have been used to strengthen the bowling attack which is still RCB's weakness.
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Karthik V
Good to see RCB thinking about the dressing room environment. Leadership qualities matter a lot in a long tournament like IPL. Venkatesh showed good captaincy in domestic cricket. He can be a deputy to Faf.
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Michael C
As a neutral fan, RCB's approach seems very calculated. They got their main target for a reasonable price and filled specific backup roles. The comment about not creating doubt in a winning team is spot on. Momentum and confidence are huge in T20.

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