RCB reveals reason behind aggressive bid for Venkatesh Iyer and sudden withdrawal

RCB director Mo Bobat opened up about the reason behind the team’s aggressive bid for Venkatesh Iyer and the decision to release Mohammed Siraj.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s director Mo Bobat has clarified the reason behind the franchise’s aggressive bid for Venkatesh Iyer at the IPL 2025 mega auction, despite pulling out at the last moment.

The KKR all-rounder was eventually acquired by the 2024 champions for a massive ₹23.75 crore after RCB withdrew once the bidding crossed their limit. Bobat has now revealed why the franchise targeted Iyer and how the move was linked to Yuzvendra Chahal.

The RCB official told Cricbuzz that by letting go of Chahal, the team had Rs 14 crore more in their purse, which they believed they could use to purchase a left-handed batsman.

Bobat explained the reason behind biding for Venkatesh Iyer

Bobat explained that by withdrawing from the bidding for Venkatesh Iyer once the price touched ₹23.5 crore, RCB was able to prioritize Phil Salt and push Devdutt Padikkal up to number three. He further added that this also meant neither Will Jacks nor former skipper Faf du Plessis could be accommodated in the lineup.

“To understand what we were doing with Venkatesh Iyer, you have to understand what didn’t happen for us with Yuzvendra Chahal,” Bobat said.

Bobat revealed the reason for parting ways with Mohammed Siraj

Bobat revealed that RCB had given considerable thought before parting ways with Mohammed Siraj, who had been one of the franchise’s leading bowlers since joining in 2018. Despite being a household name, Siraj was released ahead of the mega auction, a move that left many fans surprised, Explaining the decision, the RCB director said the franchise’s strategy to target Bhuvneshwar Kumar would have been difficult to execute is they retained Siraj.

“We were keen to try and get Bhuvi and we felt like hanging on to Siraj would make it difficult to get Bhuvi,” he added.

Story Highlights

1. Royal Challengers Bengaluru director Mo Bobat opens up  about the strategy behind aggresive bid for Venkatesh Iyer
2. Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder was bought for Rs 23.75 crore by the 2024 champions.
3.  RCB director on parting ways with Mohammed Siraj, who had been the franchise’s key bowler