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Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi may have self-sabotaged their IPL 2026 bids with INR 2 cr call
Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi have listed themselves at the maximum base price of INR 2 crore for IPL 2026 mini-auction despite poor performances in IPL 2025.
Two Indian players have walked into the most expensive room in the auction hotel... just when their stock is at its weakest.
Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi have both listed themselves at the maximum base price of INR 2 cr for the IPL 2026 mini-auction - despite underwhelming IPL 2025 returns that already forced their franchise to cut ties.
A crowded registration list
For the upcoming mini-auction on December 16, 1,355 players have registered for just 77 available slots.
The final auction pool will only be pruned from this long list on December 5, but one thing is already clear: the fight at the top base-price band will be brutal.
As of now, 45 players have opted for the INR 2 cr bracket, and only two of them are Indian - Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
They are competing for attention against overseas A-listers like Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Liam Livingstone, and Matheesha Pathirana.
For a mini-auction where squads are largely settled, the INR 2 cr group is usually reserved for:
- obvious first-XI upgrades or
- proven match-winners in current form.
Neither label comfortably fits Iyer of Bishnoi on the basis of IPL 2025.
Also Read: When IPL says no, PSL says yes: The new reality of veteran stars like Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali and David Warner
Venkatesh Iyer: From INR 23.75 cr splash to “can we justify 2 crore?”
KKR went all-in at the IPL 2025 mega-auction, paying INR 23.75 crore to bring back Venkatesh Iyer.
The return on that investment was stark:
IPL 2025 season for Venkatesh Iyer
Matches: 11, Runs: 142, Avg: 20.29, SR: 139.22, 50s: 1 and no bowling contributions all throughout the season.
He was then released ahead of IPL 2026 after that disappointing campaign.
So, while his base has crashed from 23.75 to 2 crore, he has still parked himself in the highest bracket, demanding that a team commit serious money to:
- a top-order left-handed batter
- coming off a 142-run season
- who no longer offers regular overs with the ball
In pure analytics terms, franchises won’t ask “Is Venky useful?” They’ll ask: “Is this profile, in this form, clearly worth locking at least INR 2 cr of our purse?”
That question alone increases his risk of being ignored in early bidding, especially when mid-range Indian options would be available at INR 50 lakhs - INR 1.5 cr.
Ravi Bishnoi: Potential vs performance conundrum
Ravi Bishnoi’s 2025 numbers are equally unforgiving.
Matches: 11, Wickets: 9, Average: 44.56, Economy Rate: 10.84
This came immediately after LSG had retained him at INR 11 cr before the 2025 mega auction. By November 2025, he was among their biggest releases, his costly, leaky season being the best possible reason.
Leg-spin is a premium skill, but at 10.84 runs per over, Bishnoi shifted from “attack weapon” to “high-risk-middle-overs option”. With cheaper domestic wrist-spinners in the market, the INR 2 cr forces teams to treat him as a headline buy rather than a bargain.
Does INR 2 cr increase their unsold risk?
Data and dynamics say yes:
- They are in an overcrowded top bracket with only 77 slots in the entire auction.
- Both are coming off clearly downtrending seasons versus their pay grade.
- Their previous deals underline how sharply the market has already corrected.
Being Indian, and in roles that remain structurally valuable still means they should find bidders at some point. But by insisting on the maximum base price after their weakest seasons, Iyer and Bishnoi have shrunk their margin for error: in 2026, teams will either see them as valued at 2-3 crore... or decide they are not worth touching at all.
