Happy Birthday Dinesh Karthik: A tour of his five best knocks in IPL

Dinesh Karthik is one of the most experienced wicketkeeper-batters in India, in recent times. Though he couldn’t cement his place in the Indian squad, Karthik has played some memorable knocks in the blue jersey. The match-winning last-ball maximum against Bangladesh in the Nidhas Trophy final in 2018 still holds a significant place in the hearts of Indian cricket fans.

The Tamil Nadu cricketer, turning 37 today, has become a swashbuckling middle-order batter of the Indian Premier League over the years. He started his IPL journey from the initial season in 2008 for Delhi Daredevils. During his three years of playing for Delhi, Karthik only managed to register three fifty-plus scores.

In 2011, he was bought by Kings XI Punjab and he was the second most expensive player in the squad. After a year, he joined Mumbai Indians and played for 2 years. For Mumbai, Karthik lifted his maiden IPL trophy in 2013. In that season, he recorded his most runs in a single season, scoring 411 in 19 appearances at a strike rate of 124.

Karthik was again bought by the Delhi-based franchise in 2014 and then he went on to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Lions in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Gujarat Lions retained him in 2017. He was included in the IPL XI as a wicket-keeper in the 2017 season. In 2018, Karthik joined Kolkata Knight Riders and was appointed skipper. He led the side to the playoffs but couldn’t win the title.

After being in KKR for three years, Royal Challengers Bangalore bought him for Rs 5.5 crore this year in the IPL mega auction. In his 16 innings for RCB this year, Karthik successfully played the role of a finisher and recorded a total of 330 runs at an impressive batting average of 55.

On his 37th birthday this year, let’s take a look at the five best IPL innings of the veteran cricketer:

97 runs off 50 deliveries for Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals in 2018: In the match against Rajasthan Royals in 2018, Karthik remained unbeaten at 97 in 50 deliveries which helped Kolkata Knight Riders reach the 175 run-mark. The devastating innings was laced with 7 boundaries and 9 sixes. However, Rajasthan Royals clinched the victory with 4 balls left to spare.
86 runs off 48 deliveries for Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils in 2013: In a match against his former side, Dinesh Karthik displayed some explosive strikes to score 86 runs in 48 deliveries and the innings contained 14 boundaries. He took charge of the game after the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar and stitched an important partnership with Rohit Sharma.
69 runs off 44 deliveries for Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab in 2014: In a match against Punjab in 2014, Dinesh Karthik’s partnership with Kevin Pietersen helped Delhi reignite their hold on the game. Karthik scored a crucial 69 runs off 44 deliveries. His innings included six boundaries and a lone maximum. The memorable knock helped Delhi Daredevils post 164 runs on the board but that was not enough for the win.
69 runs off 33 deliveries for Kings XI Punjab vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011: While chasing down 179 runs, Dinesh Karthik’s 69-run knock off 33 deliveries almost had the job done for Punjab. After his dismissal before a few overs, Davis Hussey finished the remaining work.
66 runs off 34 deliveries for Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals in 2022: Coming in at no 7, Karthik smashed 66 runs in 34 balls to help RCB put up more than a decent total of 189 runs. His knock was laced with five boundaries and as many sixes. Delhi’s innings came to an end at 173 and Dinesh Karthik was awarded the player of the match title.

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