Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik decided to hang his boots after the four-wicket defeat to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 eliminator at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. After Rovman Powell finished the run chase in style with a maximum, Karthik was congratulated by teammate Virat Kohli for his illustrious career. Karthik led the team off the ground as the crowd cheered him. He thanked the crowd for acknowledging him as he made his way to the dressing room.
In his last IPL appearance, he got a reprieve on the first ball when the third umpire Anil Chaudhary reversed the lbw decision. It seemed that the ultraedge picked up the sound of bat hitting the pad instead of ball. He wasn’t sure he had inside-edged it on to the pads but the review went his way.
However, he could not make the most of the opportunity. He scored just 11 runs from 13 balls and failed to extend RCB’s score with a cameo. He was dismissed in the penultimate over by Avesh Khan.
Karthik’s IPL numbers
The soon-to-be 39-year-old in his last IPL season scored 326 runs from 15 games at an average of 36.22 including two half-centuries. His strike rate was 187.36. Even when RCB were on a losing streak, his contributions helped them keep the net run rate (NRR) in check. In the end, they were able to qualify not just on the basis of six wins in a row but NNR as well.
Karthik is another player who has been playing in the IPL since the inaugural edition. He has scored 4,842 runs from 257 games at an average of 26.31 including 22 half-centuries. His IPL career strike rate is 135.36.
Also, he has the second-most dismissals after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) MS Dhoni. The Tamil Nadu-born wicketkeeper-batter has 174 dismissals in the IPL including 137 catches and 37 stumpings.
Karthik as India’s head coach
After the loss to RR, RCB head coach Andy Flower quashed rumours of him applying for India head coach job. However, he feels Karthik can take up that role and be successful.
“Dinesh Karthik likes coaching, helping others. And he will be very successful if he decides to do that. It has been a pleasure working with him, and I wish him best for the future,” he told the reporters in the post-match press conference.
Karthik says it was a ‘special season’
In the dressing room, a dejected Karthik lauded the team for an emphatic comeback to make it a special season.
"With sports, there is no fairytale ending. There is always a hard day when things do not go your way. It was that day. As it is in the evening games, dew came and it became easy to bat on. But still, we should be proud of the fight we put up. That is all we can ask for. Attitude matters. The belief in wanting to do something special matters. On both counts, RCB had a really special season. A season where a lot of people will look at and say 'Wow, good effort'. We are proud of ourselves and I also hope fans are also proud of us for what we have done this year," said Karthik in a video posted on X by the franchise.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
