Dinesh Karthik to end IPL career after 2024 edition, to decide on international retirement soon
Dharamsala (PTI): India wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik is all set to make his last IPL appearance in the 2024 edition beginning on March 22, and he will decide on his international retirement after the lucrative T20 league.
The 38-year-old, who is currently contracted with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, has played in all the 16 editions of the IPL since 2008 and has only missed two matches across 16 seasons.
"This 2024 edition will be his (Dinesh Karthik's) last IPL. He will decide his international retirement after the IPL," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
One of the most experienced wicket-keeper batters in the IPL, Karthik has represented six teams in the league.
He started off with Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in 2008 before moving to Kings XI Punjab in 2011. He spent the following two seasons with Mumbai Indians before going back to Delhi in 2014 for a price tag of a whopping Rs 12.5 crore.
Royal Challengers signed him in 2015 for Rs 10.5 crore and he then played for Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017 before spending four seasons with the Kolkata Knight Riders.
He has led the Kolkata side to IPL playoffs in 2018 and they finished fifth in the points table in 2019.
Ahead of the IPL 2022, Karthik was released by KKR and was bought by RCB for the second time for Rs 5.5 crore. He had a stellar 2022 for RCB while mainly playing the role of a finisher.
Karthik made 330 runs in 16 matches at an average of 55 and an explosive strike-rate of 183.33 that year, a guiding force in RCB's march to the play-offs.
That run earned Karthik a berth in the India squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 held in Australia but he could not shine as expected as Virat Kohli's side bowed out of semifinals after a defeat against eventual champions England.
But by then, Karthik had also made a name for himself as a commentator with his sprightly, technique-laden approach.
The Tamil Nadu man has a reasonable stint at international career too, considering his career clashed with that of MS Dhoni as a wicketkeeper batsman.
He has played 26 Tests after making debut in 2004 against Australia, scoring 1025 runs and effecting 57 catches and 6 stumpings. He played his last Test in 2018.
In the ODIs, he scored 1752 runs in 94 matches between 2004 and 2019, and managed 64 catches and 7 stumpings.
Karthik's last match for India was the T20I against Bangladesh in 2022 after making his debut in the shortest format in 2006. He scored 686 runs from 60 T20Is and effected 30 catches and 8 stumpings.
Karthik has played in 242 IPL matches since the inaugural edition, scoring 4516 runs at an average of 25.81 and strike rate of 132.71, with 20 half-centuries. He has affected 141 catches and 36 stumpings.
However, he recently featured in the DY Patil T20 Cup in Navi Mumbai.
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Mangaluru: Special trains to Chennai for Vishu festival
Mangaluru: To clear extra passenger rush during the Vishu festival, the Southern Railway has announced special train services between Mangaluru Central and Chennai Egmore.
According to an official release, Train No. 06126 Mangaluru Central-Chennai Egmore Special will depart Mangaluru Central at 4:00 pm on April 6 and 13, reaching Chennai Egmore at 10:30 a.m the next day.
In the return direction, Train No. 06125 Chennai Egmore-Mangaluru Central Special will leave Chennai Egmore at 2:00 pm on April 7 and 14 and arrive at Mangaluru Central at 6:50 am the following day.
The train will have two AC two-tier, eight AC three-tier, six sleeper class, four general second class coaches, one Divyangjan-friendly coach, and one luggage-cum-brake van.
In a seperate announcement, the southern railway also announced special service between between Bengaluru Cantonment and Dr. MGR Chennai Central to manage the extra rush of passengers.
Train No. 06545 will depart from Bengaluru Cantonment at 08:05 am on Thursday, 9th April and is scheduled to reach Chennai Central at 3:00 pm on the same day. The return service, Train No. 06546, will leave Chennai Central at 4:45 pm on the same day and reach Bengaluru Cantonment at 11:00 pm.
