India, June 5 -- One of the biggest bids Royal Challengers Bengaluru ever made came last November in Riyadh, on the opening day of the IPL mega auction, when they fiercely battled Kolkata Knight Riders for all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer. RCB went as high as INR 23.50 crore before being outbid by a whopping INR 23.75 crore. But veteran India cricketer Abhinav Mukund believed it was actually a lucky escape.

RCB instead used that sum to rope in Josh Hazlewood (INR 12.50 crore) and Phil Salt (INR 11.50 crore) - both of whom played pivotal roles in ending the franchise's 18-year IPL title drought. Iyer, meanwhile, crumbled under the weight of expectations, enduring a season to forget.

Speaking to the broadcasters, Mukund also reacted to a startl...