Will Dinesh Karthik retire from IPL? Veteran keeper given guard of honour by RCB teammates

On Wednesday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) took on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator of IPL 2024 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

BET NOW: Exclusive sign-up offers and bonuses when you bet on IPL action

Put in to bat first, RCB scored 172/8 in their 20 overs as a disciplined effort from RR's bowlers restricted them. In reply, RR chased down the score with an over to spare as contributions from Yashasvi Jaiswal (45), Riyan Parag (36) and Shimron Hetmyer (26) took them over the line.

The result meant RCB exited the competition but their story over the back half of this season has been an unbelievable one. The transformations of Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik towards the end of their careers, along with players like Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal and Swapnil Singh stepping up made them an inspiring tale.

Dinesh Karthik given guard of honour by RCB teammates

Ahead of this season, it was largely speculated that RCB keeper Dinesh Karthik would be hanging up his boots after the end of the campaign, especially with a mega-auction on the horizon before the 2025 season. Now almost 39 years old, Karthik no longer plays regularly for India. 

READ MORE: Was Dinesh Karthik wrongly given not out against RR?

On Wednesday night, there were further indications that his playing career would not continue past this season, even if an official announcement has not been made yet. After the match, he was given a guard of honour by his RCB teammates as he left the field, waving his keeping gloves to the crowd.

From #RCB to Dinesh Karthik ❤️ #TATAIPL | #RRvRCB | #TheFinalCall | #Eliminator | @RCBTweets | @DineshKarthik pic.twitter.com/p2XI7A1Ta6

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 22, 2024

Karthik revelled in his role as a finisher for RCB this year, scoring 326 runs at a strike rate of 187. He is an IPL stalwart, currently sitting joint-second for most matches played in the competition with 257. In what was a stop-start international career thanks to the emergence of MS Dhoni, he did manage to put together a highly respectable 180 appearances for India.