Venkatesh Iyer with IPL 2024 trophy [Source: @KnightsVibe/X.com]
Promising all-rounder from KKR, Venkatesh Iyer, recently addressed the importance of education amongst professional athletes. During the conversation with Express Sports, Iyer revealed that he is pursuing his PhD in Finance and will soon earn the prefix of a doctorate.
Venkatesh Iyer, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) rising superstar, had a big payday during the IPL 2025 mega auction. Acknowledging his services in the last four years, the defending champions went all in to bag the all-rounder for INR 23.75 crores.
As Venkatesh Iyer gears up for the IPL 2025 season, he spoke to Express Sports and made a major revelation about his educational background. For those unversed, Iyer held an MBA degree in finance and was offered a job at the Big 4 accounting firm Deloitte. However, Iyer ditched the offer to fulfil his cricket dream.
Venkatesh Iyer to get doctorate degree soon!
Meanwhile, despite having a successful career in cricket, Venkatesh Iyer refuses to put education on the backseat. He revealed pursuing a PHD in finance which would earn him the prefix of 'Dr.' soon. Iyer advised budding athletes to give equal importance to education. He opined that a professional athlete's career is finite. But education stays with a person until he takes his last breath. For Iyer, his education helped him in better decision making on the field.
"Education will stay with you till you die - cricketer cannot play till 60, being an educated person, it helps me to make better decisions on the field as well - i am pursuing my PHD (Finance), you will be interviewing me as Dr Venkatesh Iyer next time," Iyer said.
Notably, Venkatesh Iyer is likely to captain KKR in IPL 2025 season since Shreyas Iyer has left to join PBKS. Having spent 4 seasons with the team, Venkatesh has emerged as an ideal choice.
Ajinkya Rahane leading captaincy race for KKR
In a bombshell report from TOI, Ajinkya Rahane is likely to lead KKR in the IPL 2025 season. As per the rumours, Rahane's leadership credentials played a key role in KKR's decision to acquire him for INR 1.5 crore in the mega auction.
Rahane has, after all, a marvellous record as a captain under his belt. He led India to a historic series victory in the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia and has captained Rajasthan Royals in previous IPL seasons. For the past couple of years, he has been regularly leading Mumbai in domestic events and has won multiple allures.