A couple of days after Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifted their first-ever IPL trophy, a video of head coach Andy Flower has emerged that they wanted Venkatesh Iyer in their team quite badly. The former Zimbabwe captain feels Iyer would have had a good season had he featured for RCB.
Iyer, who played a critical role in Kolkata Knight Riders' title victory in 2024, was released by the franchise. However, he did not quite meet the expectations of the Knight Riders when they bought him for a staggering amount of ₹23.75 crore. The all-rounder managed only 142 runs in 11 matches as the Knight Riders failed to reach the playoffs.
Speaking in a video published on social media, Flower said:
"We really rated Venky (highly); that's why we went so hard for him. It was because we valued having a strong Indian core to our team. We wanted some exciting young cricketers and a left-hander in the top order. We didn't get him. I would like to think if he played for us, he would have had a really great season."
Virat Kohli's quest to win an IPL trophy finally come true
On the cricketing side of things, it was a highly emotional moment for Virat Kohli, who had been with the side for 18 years and been part of three losing finals. However, the Royal Challengers were finally able to cross the line against the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final.
The score of 190 looked below par on the night and it was Krunal Pandya's brilliant figures of 4-0-17-2 that prove pivotal in RCB's six-run victory.
