(PTI Photo)
Former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik has shared insights into his decision to retire following the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Although he believed he could have continued playing for a few more years, he didn’t want to leave with any sense of regret.
Karthik, a highly respected figure in Indian cricket, announced his retirement after the IPL 2024. Recognized as one of the finest keeper-batters to represent India and play in the IPL, Karthik’s career spanned an era of significant growth for both Indian cricket and the IPL since his debut in 2006. Known as a “man of comebacks,” he consistently demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout his career.
A defining characteristic of Karthik’s career was his relentless dedication, which kept him among the fittest players even towards the end of his playing days. He was determined to finish his career on a high note.
In the IPL 2024, while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Karthik excelled with the bat. He perfectly executed the finisher’s role, scoring 326 runs in 15 matches at a striking rate of 187.36, significantly contributing to his team’s resurgence in the league.
Reflecting on his career, Karthik mentioned that despite being physically fit to play for another three years, his mental readiness was lacking. Speaking on Cricbuzz, he explained:
“I believe I am physically capable of playing for another three years. The Impact Player rule makes it even easier. Physically, I think I could have pushed for another cycle. Thankfully, I have never missed a game due to injury throughout my three-decade career. My concerns were never about my body or fitness.
“My decision was based on the mental aspect, whether I could continue to push myself in the lead-up to the tournament, and whether I would be okay with playing fewer matches. I am committed to giving 100% in everything I do, and I felt that continuing from this point would be difficult.”
Karthik further elaborated that extending his career might have led to guilt, as he wouldn’t have been able to meet the high standards he set for himself. He concluded:
“Mentally pushing myself for so long in terms of doing everything in the lead-up, even if I falter a little bit I wouldn’t be… even though from the outside people wouldn’t know, but internally I would find it very hard and I would be living with guilt. I don’t want that.
“At the end of the day, it is a professional sport and people are paying you and they expect a certain performance and that comes with responsibilities. I want to live up to those responsibilities internally to all the benchmarks that I have set. When I thought about that, I said, ‘No I don’t think I’ll be doing that.’ Add to the fact that I have a little bit of a young family, so spending time with them [is important].”
Would’ve been a bit unfair on the team because they’ve picked me at a certain price point – Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik further added that had he played, considering he wouldn’t have given his best, it could’ve been unfair on the team. He added that he realized that he couldn’t play for India and all that made him take the call. He added:
“Those are all small factors, and I think the big one was whether I can do it for the next three years because even if I go into this cycle and I play one year, I think it is a tad bit unfair on the team because they’ve picked me at a certain price point. If I don’t play the cycle or I walk into the tournament knowing that I won’t finish the cycle, then it is a little bit unfair on the team because they could have used that resource on a player they knew would be there for all three seasons.
“Taking all that into account, I thought this is the time [to retire]. And most importantly, the fact that no matter what I do, I cannot play for India again was very evident. So it was the last nail in the coffin,” he concluded.
