All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who is a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise, revealed his new pursuit in life. He announced that he is pursuing a Ph.D. in finance and would be called Dr. Venkatesh Iyer. As of now, he has already completed his BCom and MBA degrees from Indore’s DAVV University.
Venkatesh Iyer, who was released by the Kolkata-based franchise, scripted history at the 2025 IPL mega auction by selling for an amount of INR 23.75 crore. He became the fourth-highest-paid player in the league’s history. There was a bidding war between Lucknow Super Giants, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Kolkata Knight Riders to acquire the services of the all-rounder.
The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder played a significant role in Kolkata Knight Rider’s title charge in the 2024 IPL season. Known for his ability to contribute with both bat and ball, Iyer consistently delivered match-winning performances that propelled KKR to the brink of glory. He scored a total of 370 runs in 15 matches with an average of 46.25.
Recently, in an interview, Venkatesh Iyer revealed that apart from cricket, he is going to pursue a PhD in finance. He stated,
“I come from an orthodox family, so it is tough to convince middle-class parents that I will pursue only cricket. But it was the other way around. I was big on academics. My parents wanted me to do well in the game as well. 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. 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. Being an educated person, 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. 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. I am pursuing my PhD (finance) now. You will be interviewing me as Dr Venkatesh Iyer next time.”
said the all-rounder
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