“Using the money we didn’t spend on Yuzi” - RCB director reveals thought behind bidding ₹23.5 crore for Indian star in IPL 2025 auction

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) director Mo Bobat detailed the franchise's thinking behind bidding till a whopping ₹23.50 crores for batting all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer in the IPL 2025 auction. RCB were involved in a massive bidding war for the 30-year-old with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). KKR finally won out, acquiring Iyer's services for ₹23.75 crores.

The move backfired as Iyer struggled to live up to expectations for KKR, scoring only 142 runs at an average of 20.28 in 11 games.

Yet, in an interview with Cricbuzz, months after the 2025 IPL season, Bobat explained in detail the rationale behind RCB going all-out for Iyer.

"Our original budget was something like 14 or 15 for him, as probably a maximum number, hoping we'd get him for less than that. And then, obviously, the bidding gets a little bit out of control. When we were bidding, we were thinking we still weren't compromising the rest of our squad, because we're just using the money we didn't spend on Yuzi. And then we did get closer to a point where we weren't just spending the Venky Iyer budget and the money we didn't spend on Yuzi," he said.

Bobat added:

"We were starting to eat into these other roles, and that's when we pulled out. Venky was someone we were really interested in. Andy and myself and DK met him before the auction. He's a player that we like in terms of his skills. He's a character that I really respect. I think he would have been another one of those really senior, leaderful kind of characters that we recruited. So, we were really keen on him."

For the uninitiated, Yuzvendra Chahal went to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹18 crores in the IPL 2025 auction. The leggie had spent eight seasons with RCB from 2014 to 2021.

"We prioritised making sure that we would lock in Phil Salt" - Mo Bobat

Phil Salt played a key role in RCB's title run in IPL 2025 [Credit: Getty]

Mo Bobat said missing out on Venkatesh Iyer forced RCB to go all-out for England wicketkeeper batter Phil Salt in the IPL 2025 auction. RCB were once again involved in a tussle with KKR before landing Salt for ₹11.50 crores.

The signing worked wonders for the franchise as the 28-year-old scored 403 runs at an average of 33.58 and a strike rate of 175.98 in IPL 2025.

"When we didn't get Venky, we prioritised making sure that we would lock in Phil Salt. And then, obviously, from that point onwards, we managed to get all of our other targets that we set out. Yuzi and Venky were probably the two that we didn't get," said Bobat (via the aforementioned source).

Salt's swashbuckling batting in the power play played a massive role in the side finishing in the top two in the league stage and ultimately winning their maiden title.