Venkatesh Iyer heaped plenty of praise on Bengaluru’s coaching staff, led by head coach Andy Flower. Iyer went as far as to say that the RCB management is among the best he has played under
Published: June 2, 2026, 4:22 PM IST
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Venkatesh Iyer bats during a practice session ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final match against Gujarat Titans, in Ahmedabad on Saturday, May 30, 2026. (Photo: IANS)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Venkatesh Iyer, who created a massive impact for the franchise in their title defense despite playing just 7 matches, credited the RCB coaching staff for their outstanding support and hard work behind the scenes, claiming them to be the hardest working unit he has ever seen.
Venkatesh Iyer was bought by the RCB during the mini-auction for IPL 2026 for a sum of 7 crores to add more depth into their already dangerous batting line-up. He sat out for most of the matches initially but when handed the chances, Iyer did not disappoint.
He scored 209 runs in 7 outings at a career best strike rate of 186. His best performance this season came against the Punjab Kings as he walked away with the player of the match award for scoring 73* off 40 in RCB’s 23-run victory at Dharamshala.
In the playoffs, Iyer got off to blistering starts in Qualifier 1 (19 off 7) as well as the final (32 off 16) but ultimately failed to build on those starts. However, the left-hand batter eventually proved to be a very good signing for the South Indian franchise.
Venkatesh Iyer heaps praise on Dinesh Karthik and Andy Flower
While speaking to a media outlet right after winning his 2nd IPL title, Venkatesh Iyer heaped plenty of praise on Bengaluru’s coaching staff, led by head coach Andy Flower. Iyer went as far as to say that the RCB management is among the best he has played under.
He praised them for their clear communication about role clarity, calm and composed handling of players and situations.
“Best, best. They’ve been the best support staff I’ve played with Purely in terms of communication and role clarity. Handling of players. Handling of situations. And also empowering the players to make decisions.” – Venkatesh Iyer told NDTV.
The 31-year-old then name dropped RCB’s batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik as the hardest working person in the team. Venkatesh Iyer was particularly impressed with Karthik’s attention to detail and constant chats with players during net sessions.
In fact, it was very recently when a video emerged of Phil Salt expressing his gratitude to the former India wicket-keeper for giving him the best coaching tips. That speaks a lot about Dinesh Karthik’s influence in the dressing room and just how trusted he is among the players.
“DK, I think, if I had to point out who was the most hard-working person-of course, barring our logistics guys, it was Dinesh Karthik. Going out in the outside nets, working with batters, then coming back into the centre nets, talking to batters, throwing balls at them for drills… I’ve never seen a harder-working batting coach than DK.” – Iyer added.
Venkatesh Iyer did not forget to mention RCB head coach Andy Flower for creating a winning culture in the franchise, which will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of IPL titles next year. “Same goes for Andy. It’s an amazing resume that he has. So many championships, they speak for themselves, right? Obviously, wherever he’s gone, he has created a winning culture.” – Venkatesh Iyer concluded.
