Former India captain Kris Srikkanth praised RCB's ₹7-crore acquisition of India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, saying he's "a great pick for an already-championship side". "I'll go for Venkatesh over Devdutt Padikkal to start at number three as he'll give two overs of bowling also," he added. Srikkanth stated that RCB's batting lineup "looks scary" with Tim David promoted up the order.