A talented batsman, Venugopal Rao has scored heavily in domestic cricket. However, he could not quite do justice to his talent in the few outings he had in Indian colours. He managed only one half-century in 16 ODIs for India and averaged 24.22 with a strike-rate of 60.05. He thrived as a finisher for the Deccan Chargers in IPL 2008, but struggled in the next two seasons. The Delhi Daredevils signed him during the 2011 IPL Player Auction. This proved to be a very good investment, as Rao went on to become the second-highest run-getter for the team in that edition. Now, he is back in the Hyderabad-based team ready to suit up for the Sunrisers during IPL 2014.