Venkatesh Iyer discusses online trolling and KKR release
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter spoke about facing backlash from fans following the franchise's decision to release Shubman Gill.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Venkatesh Iyer has revealed that he faced prolonged online backlash from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) supporters. According to the Times of India, the trolling occurred after KKR retained Iyer while releasing Shubman Gill ahead of the IPL 2022 season.
Speaking in a podcast with Aakash Chopra, the 31-year-old said he has been subject to hate for a long time. He noted that whenever Gill scores a century, people comment on KKR social media pages, saying, 'in search of gold, we lost a diamond'.
Iyer also discussed his departure from KKR ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. He said he had approached franchise co-owner Shah Rukh Khan in hopes of a change in the decision to release him, but stated he had mentally moved on from the franchise.
After being released, Iyer joined the defending champions RCB. He described the devotion of Bengaluru supporters, noting he saw people worshipping the RCB jersey before matches.
During his season with RCB, Iyer scored 209 runs from seven matches at an average of 52.25. His performances included an unbeaten 29 off 15 deliveries as an Impact Substitute and an unbeaten 73 off 40 balls against Punjab Kings.
RCB secured its second consecutive IPL title during the season in which Iyer played.
