Veteran India cricketer Dinesh Karthik is all set to draw curtains on his IPL career at the end of the 17th edition of the tournament.
As per a report by ESPNcricinfo, Karthik will don an IPL jersey for the last time during the 2024 season as his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) continue to search for their maiden IPL title.
The wicketkeeper-batter endured a poor IPL 2023 season as he only managed to aggregate 140 runs across 13 games for RCB with a highest score of 30.
He managed to accumulate his runs at an average of just 11.67 and a strike rate of 134.62.
Karthik's performance in the 2023 season was in complete contrast to the 2022 edition of the IPL. The 38-year-old was the star for the franchise while batting in the lower middle order as he notched up 330 runs in 16 games at an impressive strike rate of 183.33.
Not only did his strike rate impress, but his batting average (55.00) also stood out as RCB went all the way to Qualifier 2 before losing by seven wickets to Rajasthan Royals. A stellar IPL 2022 season earned him a ticket to Australia for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
However, the World Cup ended on a sad note for Karthik as he only managed to rack up 14 runs in three innings and has not donned the India jersey since then. Notably, Karthik's non-selection since the conclusion of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 suggests that the selectors have moved ahead of him and are looking at other potential candidates who could get the job done as a wicketkeeper-batter.
The Tamil Nadu-born is already enjoying a successful commentary gig and also appears on several cricket shows as an expert. He will turn 39 in June and has largely distanced himself from domestic cricket.
