Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bought Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping INR 23.75 crores in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
The star all-rounder has revealed that he’s pursuing a PhD in finance alongside his cricket. Talking to the Indian Express, Iyer revealed that he wants to pursue further studies alongside his cricket.
Iyer said, “If a new guy walks into the MP (Madhya Pradesh) team, the first thing I ask him is ‘padhai kar rahe ho ki nahi?’ (are you studying or not?). Education will stay with you till you die, a cricketer cannot play till 60. You have to understand that there is a shelf life. After that, if you want to really excel in life, you have to be educated”.
He further added, “Academics can give me the perfect switch-off from the game. I don’t want to be thinking of the game all the time, it adds pressure. If I can do two things at the same time, I will.
KKR all-rounder to become ‘Dr Venkatesh Iyer’
“Being an educated person, it helps me make better decisions on the field as well. There will be a situation when it won’t be just about the skill but whether you can make a better decision”, he continued.
Venkatesh Iyer said that he wants cricketers to complete their graduation or post-graduation. He said, “I want cricketers to educate themselves not just with cricketing knowledge, but general knowledge as well. If you can complete your graduation or post-graduation, you definitely should”.
The all-rounder concluded with, “I am pursuing my PhD (finance) now. You will be interviewing me as Dr Venkatesh Iyer next time”.
Venkatesh Iyer scored 370 runs in 13 innings in IPL 2024 at an average of 31.57 including 4 fifties to his name. He scored fifties in the Qualifier 1 and the final of the tournament to help KKR lift their third title in the IPL.