After RCB lost the IPL 2024 Eliminator to Rajasthan on Wednesday, veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik hinted that he might have played his last Indian Premier League match. Karthik removed his gloves and acknowledged the applause from the crowd after the heartbreaking defeat in the playoffs match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
After Rovman Powell hit the winning runs for Rajasthan in their successful chase of 173, 38-year-old Dinesh Karthik shared an emotional embrace with Virat Kohli. Despite having stressed quite a few times throughout the season that IPL 2024 might be his last as a player, Karthik is yet to officially confirm his retirement from the IPL.
In fact, Virat Kohli led the guard of honour for the veteran wicketkeeper-batter before trainer and good friend Shanker Basu welcomed him off the field.
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Before the players walked off the field after their 4-wicket defeat to the Royals, Dinesh Karthik also received an emotional guard of honour from his RCB teammates. It was a heartbreaking evening for the RCB stars as their resurgent run came to a grinding halt. RCB, who were reeling at the bottom of the table midway through the season, winning only one out of the 8 matches, sneaked through to the playoffs, winning six on the trot, which included a knockout punch to 5-time champions Super Kings.
Dinesh Karthik will conclude his IPL career with 4842 runs in 257 matches, boasting 22 fifties. He secured a position in the top 10 run-getters list in the history of the IPL.
Dinesh Karthik performed exceptionally well in IPL 2024
Continuing to defy age in the IPL, especially after joining RCB, Karthik juggled commentary commitments and his preparation for IPL as he wasn’t a regular part of the senior national team after the T20 World Cup in 2022. His remarkable performance in IPL 2022 with RCB (scoring 330 runs at a strike rate of 183) earned him a T20I recall and a place in the World Cup squad.
In IPL 2024, Karthik concluded the season with 326 runs in 15 matches, excelling in the finisher’s role once again. He even put himself back in contention for a spot in the T20 World Cup squad. India captain Rohit Sharma even jokingly mentioned Karthik’s chances during an episode of on-field banter with the veteran wicketkeeper.
However, the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the USA and the West Indies from June 1, did not include Karthik.
Throughout his IPL career, the wicketkeeper-batter has represented six teams. He began with Delhi Daredevils in 2008, then moved to Punjab in 2011. After spending the following two seasons with Mumbai, he returned to Delhi in 2014. RCB acquired him in 2015, and he played for Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017 before spending four seasons with KKR, where he also captained the team. Karthik made a comeback to RCB in 2022 and excelled in the finisher’s role.
Also Read: IPL 2024: Rajasthan Royals Send RCB Packing, To Play SRH In Qualifier 2
