Cricket: Dinesh Karthik retires from all representative cricket

Dinesh Karthik on Saturday officially announced his retirement from cricket across all formats in a statement issued on X, formerly known as Twitter.

His last appearance was for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2024 Indian Premier League Eliminator last month, and his final international match was at the 2022 T20 World Cup group stage against Bangladesh.

Following Bengaluru’s elimination from the IPL, Karthik was given a guard of honour by his team-mates signalling his impending retirement.

Full statement:

I’ve been overwhelmed by the affection, support and love I have received in the last few days. My deepest gratitude and sincere thanks to all the fans who have made this feeling possible.

Having given it plenty of thought for sometime now, I have decided to move on from playing representative cricket. I officially announce my retirement and put my playing days behind me as I square up for the new challenges that lie ahead.

I’d like to thank all my coaches, captains, selectors, teammates and members of the support staff who have made this long journey pleasant and enjoyable. Among the millions that play the sport in our country, I consider myself among the lucky few to have had the chance to represent the nation, and luckier still to have earned the goodwill of so many fans and friends.

My parents have been pillars of strength and support over all these years, and I wouldn’t be what I am without their blessings. I also owe plenty to Dipika, herself a professional sportsperson who often put her career on hold to walk my journey with me.

Of course, to all the fans and followers of our great game, a massive thank you! Cricket and cricketers, wouldn’t be the same without your support and good wishes.

Over a career spanning nearly two decades, he represented India in 26 Tests, 94 ODIs, and 60 T20Is since his debut in September 2004 against England at Lord’s. He was part of the Indian team which won the inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and also won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy with India.

Besides Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he represented Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. Karthik won the 2013 Indian Premier League and the 2013 Champions League title with the Mumbai Indians.

Overall, he scored 4842 runs in 257 matches at an average of 26.32 and strike rate of 135.36. Karthik was the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s fourth highest run-scorer last season, accumulating 326 runs from 13 innings with a strike rate of 187.

For Tamil Nadu, Karthik led Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket and captained them to victory twice in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, clinching the title in both 2006-07 and 2020-21.