Venkatesh Iyer had a forgettable run in IPL 2025 and he only managed to score 142 runs in 11 matches he played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The franchise had high hopes from the batting all-rounder and spent a huge sum of Rs 23.75 crore on him. They did not go beyond Rs 10 crore for Shreyas Iyer, who led them to the IPL 2024 title win. But KKR were keen to sign Venkatesh.

Venkatesh's below-par performance in the season saw KKR drop him from the final XI for their last league stage game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). KKR's decision to drop Venkatesh could be a hint that they might release him before IPL 2026, opined Aakash Chopra.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former KKR batsman said that the franchise releasing Venkatesh is a possibility. "The big news for me from this match was that they didn't play Venkatesh Iyer. He was in the impact substitute's list, but you didn't get him to bat. You got Manish Pandey and Angkrish Raghuvanshi to bat, and you played Ramandeep Singh and Rinku Singh. You played everyone, but you left Venky out," Aakash said.

"Is that the indicator that Venky will be released next year? You will release ₹23 crore, and then you may want to buy him back at a lesser price. That is a possibility, but I feel we have got an indicator for next year," he added.

Venkatesh made his IPL debut for KKR in the second half of IPL 2021 and quickly made it to Team India as well. He has been with KKR since then. But his below-par performance could see him get released.

Ajinkya Rahane-led KKR managed 5 wins from 12 matches. They suffered 7 defeats. 2 of their matches were washed out. KKR entered IPL 2025 as defending champions but failed to make it to the second round of the season.