KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo said acquiring all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer was one of the defending champions' main priorities. "[That's why] we went all out for him," he added. "It's good that we have 90% of the players from the championship-winning team. That...is a positive sign," Bravo stated. KKR bought Iyer for ₹23.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction.