IPL 2026 has been a double whammy for Venkatesh Iyer. So strong is the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad that he has featured in just one of six games.

And in that match, because of the Impact Player rule, the all-rounder could only showcase one of his two skills.

But the 31-year-old, who played leading roles in Kolkata Knight Riders’ title dash in 2024 and the runner-up finish in 2021, remains upbeat.

“I am not used to sitting out, but as someone who places the team above everything else, it’s my duty to adhere to the environment,” Venkatesh, who was signed for Rs. 7 crore, told reporters on Wednesday. “RCB is the defending champion. To tinker with a winning combination is not always the smartest move.

“Sitting in the wings doesn’t mean that I am not part of the plan. I got one opportunity and I was extremely delighted that I scored (29 n.o., from 15 balls versus Rajasthan Royals). Right now, I am backing the boys 100 per cent to do the job.”

Interestingly, from the 2023 season when the Impact Player rule was introduced, Venkatesh has bowled all of six balls in 41 outings.

“Impact Player [rule] never stopped a Hardik [Pandya] or a [Andre] Russell or a [Sunil] Narine from bowling four overs,” Venkatesh opined. “It’s not stopping Nitish Reddy either. It actually pushes you to be the best all-rounder version that you can be.

“But it does curtail the opportunity for the one- and two-over bowlers. If I am the captain, I need to figure out how to use my five [specialist] bowlers and how to give my sixth [part-time] bowler a go. But here, your sixth bowler is also a specialist bowler. So there is cushion for strategising.”

Venkatesh, though, is not giving up on his bowling.

“I know that I won’t be bowling four overs [in white-ball cricket]. So I try to identify someone who has played a lot of red-ball cricket.

“I had Mitchell Starc [at KKR in 2024]. This year, I have Josh Hazlewood. I make it a point to have conversations because I want to win Madhya Pradesh the Ranji Trophy once again. And I know that I can do it with a ball in hand.”

Published on Apr 22, 2026