Sports

"I Am The Highest Paid Cricketer, Doesn't Mean…"

Published

1 month ago

April 4, 2025

"I Am The Highest Paid Cricketer, Doesn't Mean..."

Bought for a whopping price of INR 23.75 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Venkatesh Iyer has admitted that there is pressure to live up to the expectations. After multiple failures with the bat, the batter showed a glimpse of what he can do, scoring 60 runs off just 29 balls to help KKR put a 200-run total on the board against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). When asked about the top price tag and the expectations that come with it, Venkatesh gave a smashing reply in the press conference on Thursday.

“Once IPL starts, it doesn’t matter whether you were sold for Rs 20 lakh or 20 crore. The money doesn’t define how you will play cricket,” Iyer said in the post-match press conference.

Venkatesh also chose to highlight the excellent work his teammate Angkrish Raghuvanshi has done so far this season despite coming to the team for a fee of INR 3 crore. While Iyer remains the team’s most expensive buy of the auction, he said that the price tag doesn’t mean he needs to fire in every single game.

“We have a youngster called Angrish Raghuvanshi, who is doing really well. I know that the question of high payment and expectations will come up a lot, but I am a player who wants to contribute to the team’s success. There will be tricky situations when my team would require me to play out a few balls. If I can do that even after not scoring that many runs, I have done the job for my team. It doesn’t mean that I’m the highest-paid cricketer I will have to score in every match. It’s about the impact.

Venkatesh also admitted that there’s pressure on him to succeed but he is only focussed on contributing to the team’s cause.

“Yes, there is some pressure, I won’t lie. The pressure not about money, it is about how can contribute to the team’s success,” he added.

Venkatesh took SRH skipper Pat Cummins to the cleaners, clobbering him for 20 runs in a single over. But, the batter said that he focusses on the ball, not the bowler.

“I don’t look at who is bowling. The focus is always on what is being bowled looking at the field placement,” he said.

“The main communication came from Ajinkya and Angrish when they were batting in the middle. They said it’s not an easy pitch to bat. The ball was sticking. It was turning. So it was important for us not to chew up balls but at the same time understand what the pitch has to offer. We have that luxury because we have Rinku, Russell, and Ramandeep in the backend. We have an engine room that can demolish any bowling attack,” Iyer asserted.

Topics mentioned in this article

Related Topics:buy cricket indian live matter season sports team

Up Next

Paralympic Namibia placed under interim board

Don't Miss

Indiana All

Click to comment

Sports

Terps Finish Big Ten Championships With Five Day Three Podium Finishes

Story Links EUGENE, OR – A trio of individuals along with the men’s 4×100 relay squad and the women’s 4×400 relay team all had podium finishes on Sunday as the Maryland track and field team concluded the final day of competition at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Oregon’s Hayward Field. […]

Published

2 minutes ago

May 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

EUGENE, OR – A trio of individuals along with the men’s 4×100 relay squad and the women’s 4×400 relay team all had podium finishes on Sunday as the Maryland track and field team concluded the final day of competition at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships at Oregon’s Hayward Field.

The men’s 4×100 relay squad opened the day with an eighth-place finish. The foursome of Joshua Goffe, Tanner Leach, Roman Spikes, and Mykel Morman posted a time of 40.31 seconds in winning the first heat of the event.

Maya Valmon reached the podium with an eighth-place finish in the 400 meter finals (53.82 seconds) after qualifying for the event on Saturday. Shortly after, Eric Albright finished seventh in the 800 meters (1:49.13). From the field events on Sunday, Tolu Akinduro placed eighth after leaping 12.64 meters in the triple jump.

The 4×400 relay squads ended the meet with a pair of big performances.

On the women’s side, Samantha Payne, Lydia Robling, Maya Mosley, and Maya Valmon turned in the third-best time in program history (3:37.11) to place sixth overall.

The men’s team of Goffe, Isaiah Chapman, Aaron Abedin, and Sam Ford posted the seventh-best performance in program history as they clocked 3:09.83 to finish 12^th overall.

Other notable performances from the final day of the championships included Kami Joi Hickson placing ninth in the 800 meters (2:07.42) and Jennessa Wolfe finishing 15^th in the high jump (1.70m).

Maryland Big Ten Championship Performances (Day Three):

Triple Jump – Tolu Akinduro – 12.64m (8^th)

High Jump – Jennessa Wolfe – 1.70m (15^th)

4×100 (men) – Joshua Goffe, Tanner Leach, Roman Spikes, Mykel Morman – 40.31 (8th)

4×100 (women) – Bryce Hatcher, Victoria Teasley, Jewel Ofotan, Armanie Coleman – 45.51 (10^th)

400m – Maya Valmon – 53.82 (8^th)

800m (men) – Eric Albright – 1:49.13 (7^th)

800m (women) – Kami Joi Hickson – 2:07.42 (9^th)

5,000m – Katie Altieri – 17:11.67 (36^th)

4×400 (men) – Joshua Goffe, Isaiah Chapman, Aaron Abedin, Sam Ford – 3:09.83 (12th) – 7^th all-time

4×400 (women) – Samantha Payne, Lydia Robling, Maya Mosley, Maya Valmon – 3:37.11 (6^th) – 3^rd all-time

Link

Sports

Kenton 8th Grade Volleyball Team Defeats W-G – 95.3 WKTN – Your Region, Your Radio

The Kenton Girls 8th Grade Volleyball beat Waynesfield-Goshen High School 2-0 Thursday. The Wildcats used some strong serving and defense to win their last game at Kenton Middle School. They will now travel to Bath on Saturday for the WBL tournament. The first match begins at 10:00 am vs. St Marys. All tickets are sold […]

Published

4 minutes ago

May 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Kenton Girls 8th Grade Volleyball beat Waynesfield-Goshen High School 2-0 Thursday.

The Wildcats used some strong serving and defense to win their last game at Kenton Middle School.

They will now travel to Bath on Saturday for the WBL tournament.

The first match begins at 10:00 am vs. St Marys.

All tickets are sold online only at: https://www.bathwildcats.org/TicketBoxOffice.aspx

Link

Sports

Southwest Florida High School Sports Awards: See all spring nominees

The 2024-25 Southwest Florida High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the nominees for players of the year for all spring sports. The winners will be announced during the live show on Thursday, May 29 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. The guest speaker is former Miami Marlins World Series champion Mike Lowell. During the live […]

Published

10 minutes ago

May 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The 2024-25 Southwest Florida High School Sports Awards is proud to announce the nominees for players of the year for all spring sports.

The winners will be announced during the live show on Thursday, May 29 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. The guest speaker is former Miami Marlins World Series champion Mike Lowell.

During the live show, these nominees will be honored, along with player of the year nominees from fall sports and winter sports. The fall sports nominees have already been announced and can be found here. The winter sports nominees have also already been announced and can be found here.

The show will also announce the winners of premier awards such as overall male athlete of the year, overall female athlete of the year, Courage Award, Team of the Year and Coach of the Year. Nominated athletes who RSVP for the event here will receive a free ticket thanks to sponsors. Additional tickets are available for purchase here.

The Southwest Florida High School Sports Awards Show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards program.

Here are all the spring nominees …

Baseball

Logan Baratta, Saint John Neumann Catholic High School — SR
Grayson Carpenter, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — SR
Jackson Geiger, Gulf Coast High School — SR
Brayden Habuda, Canterbury School — JR
J.T. Huether, Canterbury School — SR
Joey Lawson, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — JR
Anthony Meady, Canterbury School — JR
Owen Phypers, Saint John Neumann Catholic High School — SR
Ashby Piatt, Canterbury School — SO
Braylon Sheffield, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — SO
Cutter Smith, Community School of Naples — JR
Madrid Tucker, Fort Myers High School — SR

Beach volleyball

Gabby Dwyer — SR and Ashlee Tenkley — SR, Fort Myers High School
Angelina Aliyeva — SR and Allison Giraldo — SR, Barron Collier High School
Delayna Kerry — JR and Brooke Smith — SR, Estero High School
Kelly McAuley — SR and Lizzy Robinson — JR, Community School of Naples
Alexa Haley — SR and Milena Lopez — SR, Seacrest Country Day School
Sidney Blackwood — JR and Maddie Knaak — SR, Bishop Verot Catholic High School

Flag football

Bella Burgess, Gateway Charter High School — 6TH
Lila Dinkel, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — JR
Kenlee Dominguez, North Fort Myers High School — SO
Jazmyn Johnson, Gateway Charter High School — JR
Karli Kalsow, Bonita Springs High School — SR
Savannah Knoerlein, Estero High School — JR
Cameron O’Halloran, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — SR
Giovanna Molloy, North Fort Myers High School — SR
Zoey O’Nan, Riverdale High School — SR
Yaneila Romanlopez, Gateway Charter High School — SR
Kylee Terry, Bonita Springs High School — JR
Mariah Thorne, South Fort Myers High School — SO

Cole Bryant, Community School of Naples — SR
Brock Catlin, Canterbury School — SO
Jack Jolly, Community School of Naples — JR
Chase Kaplan, Canterbury School — SR
Isaac Lyon, Community School of Naples — JR
Noah Preston, Canterbury School — SR
Michael Slusar, Community School of Naples — JR
Turner Tarrasch, Community School of Naples — SR
Sammy Taylor, Community School of Naples — SR
Spencer Thompson, Canterbury School — SR
Cal Wyatt, Community School of Naples — SR
Charlie Youngs, Community School of Naples — SR

Riley Confer, Community School of Naples — SR
Isabel Corwen, Canterbury School — 7TH
Sophia Dapper, Community School of Naples — JR
Ellie Deans, Community School of Naples — 8TH
Kendall DeLuke, Gulf Coast High School — SO
Stella Lynch, Community School of Naples — SR
Ciara McCloskey, Gulf Coast High School — SR
Mia Metcalf, Community School of Naples — JR
Ruby Smith, Community School of Naples — JR
Makenna Swords, Barron Collier High School — JR
Hadley Tarrasch, Community School of Naples — SO
Sienna Wyatt, Community School of Naples — SR

Softball

Hayden Billie, Evangelical Christian School — JR
Audrie Florenzano, North Fort Myers High School — JR
Sheila Forbes, Barron Collier High School — SR
Gianna Frino, Barron Collier High School — SR
Keaunna Green, Evangelical Christian School — JR
Abby Hynes, North Fort Myers High School — SR
Mia Lane, North Fort Myers High School — SR
Crimson Lawrence, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — SR
Amira Peterson, Fort Myers High School — SO
McKenna Robbins, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — SR
Sage Rodmyre, Fort Myers High School — SR
Gianni Torres, Fort Myers High School — JR

Boys tennis

John Brodeur, Estero High School — SR
William Freshwater, Barron Collier High School — JR
Nikola Markovic, Aubrey Rogers High School — JR
Alex Mazza, Gulf Coast High School — SR
Edward Roake, Community School of Naples — JR
Mark Taviloglu, Barron Collier High School — JR

Girls tennis

Chelsea Casapu, Barron Collier High School — SO
Sara Chrysler, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — FR
Te’Anna Mata, Naples High School — JR
Nadia Parsa, Barron Collier High School — SO
Riddhi Thakur, Gulf Coast High School — SO
Faith Valentine, Gulf Coast High School — SR

Boys track & field

Craig Allard Jr., Fort Myers High School — SR
Andrew Azunque, First Baptist Academy — SR
Jadrien Carmo, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — JR
Brady Clark, Naples High School — SR
Hayden Clark, Palmetto Ridge High School — SR
Jyden German, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — SO
Kobe Johnson, Dunbar High School — JR
Sean Kabengele, Naples High School — SR
Mike Luma, Ida S Baker High School — SR
Bradley Martino, First Baptist Academy — SR
Collin Meagher, Canterbury School — SR
Ryan Peterson, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — SR

Girls track and field

Noel Davis, North Fort Myers High School — SR
Joslyne De La Nuez, Canterbury School — JR
Jazlyn Forbes, Oasis High School — JR
Ava Heskett, Gulf Coast High School — SR
V’Davrielle Johnson, Gateway High School — SR
Julia Lemmon, Fort Myers High School — SR
Ciara McCloskey, Gulf Coast High School — SR
Aniston Newman, First Baptist Academy — SO
Cherldine Paul, Barron Collier High School — JR
Rianne Smith, Lehigh Senior High School — JR
Kala Valerias, Gulf Coast High School — JR
Liusmar Rivas Velasquez, Barron Collier High School — SR

Boys weightlifting

David Arthur, Fort Myers High School — SO
Carter Birkey, North Fort Myers High School — SR
Nick Bloomston, Fort Myers High School — SR
David Crome, East Lee County High School — SR
Justin Davis, Bishop Verot Catholic High School — SR
Michael Edwards, Dunbar High School — SR
Cole Hayes, Riverdale High School — SR
Nikolas Korf, Ida S Baker High School — JR
Stefan Moerschel, Riverdale High School — SO
David Monteilh, Fort Myers High School — SR
Justin Thach, LaBelle High School — JR
Ilai Villanueva, LaBelle High School — SR

Link

Sports

NCAA Announces Qualifiers For Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship

Story Links NAPERVILLE – The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) will be represented by 36 qualifiers in 15 different events at the NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship, scheduled to begin Thursday at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Selections were released by the NCAA […]

Published

24 minutes ago

May 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

NAPERVILLE – The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) will be represented by 36 qualifiers in 15 different events at the NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship, scheduled to begin Thursday at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Selections were released by the NCAA last Friday. Qualifying marks from Saturday, March 1, to Friday, May 16, were considered. CCIW champion Elmhurst joined Augustana and Carthage with seven different entries overall. The Bluejays will have the top-seeded 4×100 relay team at the championship.

The CCIW earned multiple entries in 12 events, including four of the top 10 seeds in the 200 meter dash. There will also be four participants from the CCIW in the discus and shot put.

The Championship will conclude on Saturday in Geneva.

CCIW Women’s Qualifiers
100 Meter Dash
4. Alyssa Busker, Elmhurst
21. Lauren Marshall, Elmhurst

200 Meter Dash
2. Alyssa Busker, Elmhurst
4. De’Andranay Chism, Millikin
7. Lindsey Novak, North Central
10. McKenzie Reser, Augustana

400 Meter Dash
3. Lindsey Novak, North Central
13. McKenzie Reser, Augustana

800 Meter Run
3. Lina Maatouk, Augustana

100 Meter Hurdles
21. Nakala Nadeau, Elmhurst

3000 Meter Steeplechase
10. Emma Odle, Augustana
20. Adriana Crabtree, Illinois Wesleyan

4×100 Meter Relay
1. Elmhurst (Grady, Marshall, Schwarz, Busker)
14. North Park (Costa, Hayes, Ring, Lindberg)

Discus
1. Charlotte Frere, Augustana
4. Vanessa Uitenbroek, Carroll
6. Jackie Tuzil, Carthage
17. Nicole Tarpley, Carthage

Javelin
3. Faith Ladin, North Central
6. Heather Michalski, Augustana
10. Laina Nelson, Augustana

Shot Put
2. Maria Falk, Carroll
11. Vanessa Uitenbroek, Carroll
16. Madison Payne, Carthage
18. Mikayla Wright, Carthage

Triple Jump
4. Imani Ogunribido, Illinois Wesleyan
16. Abigail Calhoun, Carthage

Long Jump
16. Chloe Selmer, Elmhurst
16. Paulina Tinajero, Elmhurst

Hammer Throw
5. Alexis Mattox, Carthage
11. Carlyssa King, Illinois Wesleyan
16. Nicole Tarpley, Carthage

Pole Vault
4. Gwen Berenyi, North Central

Heptathlon
4. Faith Ladin, North Central
10. Thea Ring, North Park
11. Lauren Huber, Illinois Wesleyan

Follow the CCIW
CCIW on X | CCIW Instagram | CCIW Facebook |

The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).

Link

Sports

Vote now to decide the ProJo boys volleyball player of the week

WATCH: Lincoln boys volleyball slips past Pawtucket in four sets Watch as Lincoln boys volleyball takes the match-winning point vs. Pawtucket. It’s time for our high school boys volleyball athlete of the week voting. This week, and every week during the volleyball season, we will nominate a handful of standouts for the honor. To be nominated for […]

Published

25 minutes ago

May 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

It’s time for our high school boys volleyball athlete of the week voting.

This week, and every week during the volleyball season, we will nominate a handful of standouts for the honor. To be nominated for the voting, we need the results of matches from the home coaches after the games. Coaches have been asked to email results to pjsports@providencejournal.com. We will handle the results from there.

This week’s ballot opened on Monday and closes on Friday at 11:59 p.m. Voting must be done online via the ballot below. Email submissions will not be accepted.

Lincoln’s Jackson Colton won bragging rights last week with 52.68% of the vote.

Vote for the Providence Journal Boys Volleyball Player of the Week

Zoltan Libertini, Exeter-West Greenwich

It’s been a tough spring for Exeter-West Greenwich, but the Knights got their first win of the season on Wednesday. Libertini had eight kills in the five-set triumph vs. Block Island.

Evan Shea, North Kingstown

The Skippers (16-0) have cruised through the state all season and Friday night was no different. Shea had 28 assists, seven digs and two blocks in a sweep of Hendricken.

Jeremy Thao, West Warwick

West Warwick is fighting for a top playoff spot in Division II and last week’s play helped. The Wizards snared two wins, including a 3-1 triumph against Juanita Sanchez on Wednesday. Thao dished out 40 assists and had three digs in the win.

Nomar Torres, Burrillville

It was a big week for Burrillville ahead of the playoffs. The Broncos topped St. Raphael, Achievement First and Exeter-West Greenwich last week. On Monday, against the Saints, Torres had 11 kills, two aces and 15 digs. And on Thursday, he had 13 kills and 37 digs in a 3-2 win vs. Achievement First.

Ben Wright, South Kingstown

Wright had a standout week, and it started on Monday. The senior led the Rebels past Pilgrim, in five sets, with 18 kills and eight digs. And on Wednesday, he added 15 kills, 15 digs and three aces in a 3-1 win vs. Woonsocket.

Link

Sports

2024-25 Sarasota-Manatee High School Sports Awards: Spring nominees

The 2024-25 Sarasota-Manatee High School Sports Awards, Presented by Sarasota Ford, is proud to announce player of the year nominees for the spring sports season. The winners will be announced during the live show May 30 at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota. The guest speaker is former MLB All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon. During the live show, these […]

Published

31 minutes ago

May 19, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The 2024-25 Sarasota-Manatee High School Sports Awards, Presented by Sarasota Ford, is proud to announce player of the year nominees for the spring sports season.

The winners will be announced during the live show May 30 at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota. The guest speaker is former MLB All-Star Dee Strange-Gordon.

During the live show, these nominees will be honored, along with player of the year nominees and winners from the fall and winter sports seasons. The fall nominees were announced earlier this year and can be found here. The winter nominees were also announced earlier this year and can be found here.

The show will also announce the winners of our premier awards, which includes boys athlete of the year, girls athlete of the year, boys team of the year, girls team of the year, coach of the year and our Courage Award recipient.

Nominated athletes who RSVP here for the event will receive a free ticket thanks to our sponsors. Additional tickets can be purchased here.

The Sarasota-Manatee High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards.

Here are the spring nominees …