Dinesh Karthik announced his retirement after RCB’s IPL 2024 exit. The veteran Dinesh Karthik was pivotal to their run to the playoffs this season. Considered to be one of the best finishers in modern-day cricket, Dinesh Karthik retired from the Indian Premier League after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s exit in IPL 2024. He appeared in his final IPL match against Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator in Ahmedabad.
Team India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has said he is in perfect physical condition to play professional cricket for another three years. However, the veteran feels he wouldn’t be able to cope with the mental side of things.
Dinesh Karthik in IPL 2024
In IPL 2024, Dinesh Karthik registered 326 runs in 13 innings, at a strike rate of 187.35. During the season, he also bagged two half-centuries. In 257 IPL career matches, he smacked 4842 runs at a strike rate of 135.36, with a high score of 97* and 22 half-centuries. Dinesh Karthik was in poor form in IPL 2023, but staged a comeback this year and was key in RCB’s run to the playoffs.
Considered to be one of the best finishers in modern-day cricket, Dinesh Karthik retired from the Indian Premier League after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s exit in IPL 2024. He appeared in his final IPL match against Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator in Ahmedabad. With Karthik unlikely to play for the national side again, he also called it quits from his IPL career recently. The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer played his final IPL match this year against the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Post his retirement Dinesh Karthik opened up on tantrums and fun he had during his playing days in IPL and international circuit
“Abhi leg spinner aaya, iska thank you hi hai” – Dinesh Karthik recalls Hardik Pandya’s sledge against him
Team India keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has opened up on the sledging he has endured throughout his career. The 38-year-old hilariously recalled how much star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has sledged him during the IPL matches.
Karthik, who retired from IPL after playing against Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator of the 2024 edition, is the 2nd most-capped player in IPL history. The keeper-batter was also part of Mumbai Indians’ squad when they won their first title win in 2013.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik remembered how Pandya thought leg spin was the way to dismiss him:
“Every time I played against RCB and Virat Kohli caught my catch, ‘Ben Stokes’ came out of his mouth for sure. But that was a send-off. Hardik Pandya sledged me saying ‘Abhi leg spinner aaya, iska thank you hi hai’ [Now a leg spinner will come and it is Thank You time] Then I had to play a couple of shots and then he was like ‘Theek hai, thoda improve hogaya lag raha hai’. [Looks like he’s improved a bit]. That was good.”
The veteran also recalled Rohit Sharma’s comments during IPL 2024 regarding World Cup:
He’s a good friend. He was also like ‘commentator banke bhi thoda kaam kar raha hai’. [Even after becoming a commentator, he’s working on his game] That was fun. Rohit Sharma this year taunting me… unnecessarily giving me hopes. [laughs].”
Despite expressing his desire to play in the 2024 T20 World Cup, the selectors didn’t look towards him for the showpiece event. He was part of the India squad in the 2022 T20 World Cup that reached the semi-final.
“I’ve really enjoyed your commentary” – Dinesh Karthik recalls MS Dhoni’s compliment
When asked about the best compliments he has received thus far, the Tamil Nadu-born cricketer named those from Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. He added:
“There’s been a lot of outpouring of love… One for my cricket – Virat Kohli saying that he’d love me being part of the [RCB] team which was a great compliment. Dhoni said: ‘I’ve really enjoyed your commentary, DK. Very, very good.’ That’s about as big a compliment as you can get from Dhoni I guess.”
The veteran is one of the elite cricketers who will be in the commentary team for the T20 World Cup 2024.