Over the years, there have been players who have massively gained with performances in Indian Premier League (IPL). On the other side, there are players who have not been under the radar after inconsistent run in the cash-rich league. Tamil Nadu-born Arun Karthik is one of the players who had their moments but could not make it big in IPL. Years later, he has proved his mettle in the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2022 with a 106-run knock.
Karthik’s stupendous knock
Karthik scored Karthik was upto the task when Nellai Royal Kings set a mammoth 210-run target, thanks to Sanjay Yadav's unbeaten 70. Chasing 210, Karthik had little support from the other end. He was dropped in the third over and made Kings pay for their mistake. In the powerplay overs, Karthik and NS Chaturved helped Madurai Panthers post 62/2 on the board. However, Chaturved got out in the ninth over after his 15-ball 27.
Karthik reached his half-century from 25 balls just after the halfway stage. Panthers kept losing wickets but Karthik fired from the other end and kept them in the hunt. Towards the end, Panthers need too many runs to make it a one-man job. In the penultimate over, he reached three figures with a six.
Panthers needed 35 runs from the last over. Karthik swung at everything but got out in the final over. He scored 106 runs from 57 deliveries including 12 fours and five sixes. In the end, Panthers lost the match by a margin of 26 runs but Karthik’s knock stood out. This was Karthik's first big score in the ongoing tournament. Also, he is the first centurion of the season.
Karthik’s famous last-ball six
Karthik made his IPL debut in 2010 season for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He registered a single-digit score. Next year, he went on to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He was a part of RCB's Champions League lineup as well. His IPL career-defining moment came in Champions League 2011 when he hit a last-ball six against South Australia to guide RCB to the semi-finals of now-defunct tournament. His last IPL appearance was in 2013 where he did not get to bat.
