Dinesh Karthik, one of the top 7 players to have played every season of the IPL, is all set to retire from the richest cricket league after the upcoming season of 2024. Karthik will don the red-black jersey of RCB in his last season of the tournament, where he has only missed 2 games in the last 16 years.
Some argue that Dinesh Karthik is unlucky, while others call him a very lucky cricketer. Unfortunate because he arrived at a time when MS Dhoni He was on his way to establishing himself before taking over the captaincy. And lucky because his career extended much longer than we all would have expected. But as an individual and a lover of the game, Karthik couldn’t have asked for more.
A brief trip to all of Dinesh Karthik’s IPL teams including RCB
He played different roles in different editions of the league. Starting as a batsman for the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), Karthik played the first two semi-finals and the 2010 season before moving to Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2011. He posted mediocre scores of 145, 288, 278, and 282. in his first 4 seasons and then in 2012, the Mumbai Indians bought the Tami Nadu native.
Dinesh Karthik experienced his best IPL season in his second season with MI in 2013, which was also the first year in which the Ambani-backed team won the title. He scored 510, the first time he touched the 500 mark in 19 matches as a leading batsman, finishing off lower-order games.
He was then called up again by Delhi in 2014 and also served as captain during Kevin Pietersen’s initial absence. He had a 325-run campaign before adding another IPL team to his resume in 2015 when RCB bought him. His association ended the following season when the Gujarat Lions signed him for 2016 and 2017 before the Riders of the Knights of Calcutta came calling.
He was also named captain of the two-time champions and led KKR to the 2021 final where they finished runners-up behind champions Chennai Super Kings. After relinquishing the captaincy in 2021, RCB pounced on Dinesh Karthik spending over Rs 5 crore. He made a comeback in the 2022 season when he accumulated 330 runs, touching the 300 mark after 2 seasons.
Ahead of the 2022 season, his international career was limited to appearances against weaker opposition such as the West Indies, Zimbabwe and Ireland. But the change came in 2017 and 2018 when he was considered a good backup to MS Dhoni. His resurgence in form, mainly from IPL, saw him earn a place in the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England, where he played 3 matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Why he will be remembered as a lucky cricketer
But his place after 2019 in any of the white-ball formats was restricted but he then scripted another captivating comeback. Do you remember their IPL 2022 season? He further stretched his international cricket career while playing in the 2022 T20 World Cup, including the high-voltage Indo-Pak clash at the MCG.
Those two years after 2019, Karthik was plying his trade in the commentary sector, like most of his former teammates. He has settled in well there and we will hear more about Dinesh Karthik in the comment box later. IPL 2024. The 38-year-old, who will turn 39 this June, had a below-par 2023 season, scoring just 140 runs in 13 matches. In his final season, his aim will be to improve his batting game and help RCB win the elusive IPL title.
Despite the ups and downs of his cricket career, Dinesh Karthik has had a very turbulent career. But one thing is for sure: Karthik will be remembered as the one who, luckily or accidentally, managed to stretch his career.