Anil Kumble urges struggling KKR to promote Venkatesh Iyer up the batting order

Strictly on form, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might view the one point they salvaged from their rain-hit match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Saturday night as a bonus. The defending champions have struggled for consistency in IPL 2025, and Anil Kumble believes a major reason is that "they still haven't figured out their best XI."

Against PBKS, KKR fielded their 17th and 18th players of the season — Chetan Sakariya, replacing the injured Umran Malik, and Rovman Powell, who came in for Ramandeep Singh. Sakariya had a chance to bowl before rain washed the game out, but Powell didn’t get a chance to bat.

With just seven points from nine games, KKR are now in must-win territory if they hope to make the playoffs.

"It's not like they've won two games and just need a winning streak now. I'm not sure [about their playoff chances]," Kumble said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show. "They made two changes for the PBKS game. Chetan Sakariya played his first match, and Rovman Powell debuted for KKR. They will probably stick with this combination for the next match."

Kumble believes KKR's current squad has the quality needed to succeed — the problem lies with underperformance, not personnel changes.
"If you compare their championship-winning squad from last year to now, there isn’t much difference," he explained. "Quinton de Kock has replaced Phil Salt, and he's just as dangerous. Rahmanullah Gurbaz did well last season. Sunil Narine has been exceptional, and although Shreyas Iyer is missing, Ajinkya Rahane has batted well at No. 3. They just need their players to step up."

For Kumble, the biggest adjustment KKR need to make is with the bat — and specifically, where Venkatesh Iyer bats.

"Venkatesh needs to bat higher up," Kumble stressed. "He thrives when the ball is coming onto the bat, and the Powerplay, with its fielding restrictions, suits his natural game. He's done it before — that's how he helped KKR qualify in 2021 when they were struggling in Dubai."

Venkatesh, who had a Powerplay strike rate of 220 during KKR’s title run last season, has been largely underused this year, batting at No. 4 or 5. In six innings, he has managed only 135 runs at an average of 22.50 and a strike rate of 139.17, with a lone standout innings of 60 off 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Kumble suggested that KKR could have taken the opportunity against PBKS to push Venkatesh to open alongside Sunil Narine.
"They could have brought in an Indian wicketkeeper like Luvnith Sisodia, dropped Ramandeep, and played Anrich Nortje instead of Chetan Sakariya," he added.

KKR’s schedule doesn’t get any easier. They next face Delhi Capitals (DC) away on Tuesday, before home games against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and then finish the league stage with away fixtures against SRH and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

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