Has Dinesh Karthik Retired From IPL? Every Hint RCB Gave After IPL Eliminator Heartbreak

While he’s yet to officially make any announcement, Royal Challengers Bengaluru gave plenty of hints after their Eliminator clash with Rajasthan Royals that Dinesh Karthik may have played the final IPL match of his career.

Karthik himself has indicated before that the IPL 2024 could be the last season of his career and the gesture of his RCB teammates on Wednesday night seemingly confirmed we have seen the last of the wicketkeeper-batter.

Emotional Goodbyes

The dejection on every RCB player was quite apparent after they lost to RR which ended their dream of winning IPL 2024. The team was on a winning streak of six matches but it ended with RR beating them by four wickets in Ahmedabad in the IPL Eliminator.

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After the match, Karthik appeared teary-eyed as he met the RCB teammates. Virat Kohli consoled him with a long hug.

Leading Players Off the Field

RCB squad stayed back applauding as Karthik took off his gloves while waving at the crowd as he led them off the field which was another hint at his farewell.

Karthik’s Words to His RCB Teammates

During his dressing speech after RCB defeated Chennai Super Kings to finish among the top-four and enter playoffs, Karthik revealed how he had made up his mind that the CSK contest will be the final of his career.

“Three weeks ago, I made this decision. Eight games – seven lost (by RCB). I thought, okay, today (match against CSK) will be the last day. So I called 26 members of my family,” Karthik said.

“Virat seems to give me a lot of grief for it. I thought today will be my last day. And I’ll say bye to everybody and they’ll all be done. But I think they’ve come a long way and they realised that I might end up playing a few more games,” he added.

RCB Coach Wishing Him Well

Before addressing the media on Wednesday night, RCB head coach Andy Flower himself took the initiative and paid glowing tributes to Karthik.

“Before we begin with the match and all, just a few words of Dinesh Karthik, possibly. He’s been an absolute pleasure to work with this year. I’ve never worked that closely with him before. I remember meeting him properly when I was England coach and he was playing for India and we had some really interesting chats about batting at Lord’s. And I really liked him from the outset then. And after working with him this season, I like him even more and respect him even more. He’s been sensational. You know, he hadn’t played a lot of cricket leading into this tournament. And what he’s done for us runs wise, attitude wise, and contributing to the, the team in the dressing room and out on the field has been really special and I respect him for it. So I wish him well,” Flower said.

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