After announcing his retirement following the 2024 Indian Premier League, Dinesh Karthik will be back in the RCB dugout, but in a new role.
Dinesh Karthik, a veteran wicketkeeper, has been named the batting coach and instructor for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2025 Indian Premier League. Karthik will be back in the RCB dugout, but he won’t be playing. Karthik revealed that he would retire after the 2024 Indian Premier League. After returning to the team in 2022 for a second spell, Karthik quickly won over the fans. He was selected for India’s T20 World Cup squad after he brilliantly adopted the finisher’s role and amassed 796 runs in his final three seasons in the lucrative league. Karthik’s return is encouraging because RCB wants to win everything next year.
After returning to RCB in 2022 for a second stint, Karthik quickly won over the fans. He played the role of finisher to perfectly, smashing 796 runs in his final three seasons in the lucrative league to earn a spot in India’s T20 World Cup squad. Karthik’s return is encouraging as RCB hopes to win everything next year.
“We are happy to welcome Dinesh Karthik, our keeper in every way, back to RCB in a brand-new avatar. RCB has announced on their social media that DK will take on the role of Mentor and Batting Coach for the Men’s squad.
“You can remove a man from cricket, but you cannot remove a man from cricket! Love him unconditionally, 12th Man Army!” RCB penned something on X. Karthik played in 180 matches for his country in all three formats, amassing 3463 runs, including one hundred and seventeen half-centuries in Test cricket. In addition, Karthik has 172 dismissals to his name, the majority coming from behind the stumps. In India’s 2022 T20 World Cup matchup against Bangladesh, he made his Indian debut.
Despite Karthik’s impressive 326-run season and his solid argument for a return to the Indian side for the 2024 T20 World Cup, the selectors decided to go with Sanju Samson and the returning Rishabh Pant.
After Royal Challengers Bengaluru was eliminated from the IPL Eliminator, Karthik announced his retirement on his 39th birthday. Karthik, the 2007 T20 World Cup winner, has extensive IPL experience, having appeared in 257 matches and scored 4842 runs at an average of 26.32. Karthik began his IPL career with the Delhi Capitals (previously the Daredevils), before moving on to represent the Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, and Kings XI Punjab.
“Coaching at the professional level is a new phase in my life that I am very excited about. “Hopefully, the breadth of my experience as a player can contribute to the group’s development and add value,” Karthik said after being appointed batting coach. “I feel that cricket success is determined not only by technical ability, but also by match intelligence and poise. I am enthusiastic to coach and advise our batting group, assisting them in not just refining their technique but also developing the sharp match awareness required to excel under pressure. It’s also nice that I’ll be able to maintain my relationship with RCB as the team grows stronger.”
RCB has a large fan base, despite the fact that they have yet to win an IPL title since the tournament’s beginning. RCB has tried and tested various captain-coach pairings over the years, but none of them have worked. They came close to winning the title three times, but lost in the finals against the Deccan Chargers in 2008, the Chennai Super Kings in 2011, and the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.
