Dinesh Karthik has announced his retirement from professional cricket on his 39th birthday, drawing the curtain on a distinguished career that began in the 2002-03 season. Karthik’s last appearance for India was in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Though he initially considered playing in the 2024 T20 World Cup, he has ultimately decided to step away from the game.
In recent years, Karthik focused on domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL). His final game was for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Ahmedabad, where he scored 11 runs off 13 balls, took a catch, and made a stumping. Before the start of IPL 2024, ESPNcricinfo reported that it would be Karthik’s last IPL season.
Karthik is one of only seven players to have featured in every edition of the IPL, alongside MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma. Over his 17 IPL seasons, he missed only two matches: one in his debut season with Delhi Daredevils and another in IPL 2023 with RCB against Sunrisers Hyderabad. This season, Karthik was RCB’s fourth-highest run-getter, amassing 326 runs from 13 innings with an impressive strike rate of 187.
Throughout his IPL career, Karthik represented six teams: Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders, and RCB. In 256 IPL matches, he scored 4,816 runs at an average of nearly 26, with a strike rate over 135 and 22 half-centuries. As a wicketkeeper, he is second only to MS Dhoni in overall dismissals (172) and stumpings (36).
In domestic cricket, Karthik captained Tamil Nadu and also led teams in the IPL, including a stint as a stand-in skipper for Delhi Daredevils and leading Kolkata Knight Riders in 37 matches from 2018 to 2020. His overall IPL captaincy record stands at 21 wins, 21 losses, and one tie.
Internationally, Karthik played 26 Tests, 94 ODIs, and 60 T20Is for India, serving in various roles from Test opener to T20I finisher. Known for his athleticism behind the stumps, Karthik made his international debut at just 19 years old and has been a dynamic presence in Indian cricket ever since. His retirement marks the end of an era for a player who has left an indelible mark on the sport.
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