New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Venkatesh Iyer has revealed he is pursuing a PhD in finance after completing his MBA degree as he continues to focus on his education besides his cricket. Iyer believes in the power of education and feels every cricketer should try to get the maximum education possible even after turning a professional.
Iyer recently became one of the most expensive signings in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after he was bought by KKR for a whopping Rs 23 crore (approx 2.7 million USD) at the IPL 2025 mega auction. He was the 3rd most expensive pick at the IPL 2025 auction behind only Rishabh Pant (Rs 27 crore) and Shreyas Iyer (Rs 26.75 crore).
However, despite bagging a jackpot at the auction, Iyer is determined to continue pursuing his education and hopes to complete his PhD in finance by the time IPL 2025 gets underway next year.
“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!” Venkatesh told Indian Express in an interview.
Iyer, who plays for Madhya Pradesh in the domestic circuit, has been a successful cricketer in the IPL and has also played for India. He made his IPL debut for KKR in 2010 and has since been one of their most consistent performers with the bat. While he was not retained by the team, KKR went all out at the auction to resign the all-rounder.
The 30-year-old has so far played 50 matches in his IPL career and has 1326 runs to his name at a strike rate of 137.13.
‘A cricketer cannot play till 60’
Growing up in an orthodox family, Iyer admitted it was difficult for him to convince his parents to let him play only cricket without focusing on education. He insisted he was always a studious child and grew up liking academics. The Indian all-rounder believes education is necessary for all as a cricketer’s shelf life is very short and one needs to be educated to continue doing well in life even after hanging their boots.
“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?),” said Iyer.
“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,” he added.
When Venkatesh Iyer rejected job offer from ‘Big 4’
Iyer got a great job offer from Deloitte, one of the ‘Big 4’ companies after completing his MBA. However, he decided to remain in Indore and continue focusing on his cricket career. His hard work paid off eventually when he was selected by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and subsequently went on to play for the Indian team. He has played 9 T20Is and 2 ODIs for India in his career so far.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) star Venkatesh Iyer is currently pursuing a PhD in finance after completing his MBA. He was sold for a whopping Rs 23 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
