India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, on Sunday, sparked a surprise bidding war at the mega auction for the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah, which ended with Kolkata Knight Riders splurging INR 23.75 crore. However, the move did not sit well with former KKR captain Eoin Morgan, who labelled the bid as a “desperate” one and reckoned the franchise “overpaid” for the India cricketer.

Walking in late into an IPL auction seldom sparks a lengthy bidding war, but Venkatesh attracted as many as three bidders. KKR faced stiff competition from Lucknow Super Giants. And just when they thought it was a steal deal at INR 7.75 crore, Royal Challengers Bengaluru ruined the party, pushing KKR to their limits, before they acquired back the all-rounder for INR 23.75 crore, making him the fourth-most expensive player at an auction, and third most at the mega auction in Jeddah.

Speaking on JioCinema, Morgan, who had taken KKR to the IPL final in 2020, praised Venkatesh's cricketing prowess and admitted him being an integral part of the franchise, but reckoned that they overpaid.

"There's a lot to like about him - a left-handed batter can bat anywhere in your top five. Obviously, he has been an integral part of the Knight Riders set-up for some time now, and we normally see this sort of supply and demand for the type of player that Venkatesh is in a mini-auction. I didn't think we'd see it today, but to go for 23.75 is massive over, in my opinion, for the type of player that he is considering. When the likes of KL Rahul only go for 14, you would say two completely different types of players and different accomplishments in many ways," the ODI World Cup-winning captain said.

"I would say you've paid way over. But it was a case of two teams that were absolutely desperate for him. The men in purple and gold oversee RCB. They're just one of a number of teams that have outbid ORCB today. But he is a fine player. I think when I played alongside him, I was in his first real breakthrough year in the IPL," he added.

How did KKR fare at IPL auction so far?

Kolkata spent 29.35 crore at the mega auction so far, roping in just three players. Besides Venkatesh, they bagged two wicketkeeper-batters in Quinton de Kock, for INR 3.60 crore, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, for INR 2 crore. Like Venkatesh, Gurbaz too was part of their squad in the previous season, and they acquired him at his base price.

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