Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have announced the return of Dinesh Karthik to the team for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season as 'mentor and batting coach'. Karthik announced his retirement from the game after the conclusion of the 2024 IPL season in which RCB finished 4th. After fulfilling his duties as a commentator and pundit for the T20 World Cup 2024, Karthik has taken up another role in the sport, though this time he will be working a lot closer with the team.
"Welcome our keeper in every sense, Dinesh Karthik back into RCB in an all-new avatar. DK will be the mentor and batting coach of RCB Men's team! You can take the man out of cricket but not cricket out of the man! Shower him with all the love, 12th Man Army!", RCB said in a post.
Karthik has been a true servant to Indian cricket for a long time and was a part of the 2007 T20 World Cup team that lifted the trophy. The 34-year-old made his debut for India in 2004 and has had a glorious career that spans over two decades.
He has also made a name for himself in the Indian Premier League (IPL), a competition in which he has played 27 games whilst representing KKR, RCB, DC, and MI as well as winning the trophy once with the Men in Blue. He scored 4842 runs in his time in the league at a strike rate of 135.36.
A new challenge awaits Karthik who has been one of the finest finishers in the shortest format of the game the last few years. Karthik's name was also being spoken about for T20 World Cup 2024 selection, but the BCCI went with the pairing of Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson for the marquee event.
With IANS Inputs