Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru have announced veteran wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik as their batting coach and mentor for the men’s team. Karthik, who announced his retirement after IPL 2024, will return to the RCB dugout, but this time in a different capacity.
Karthik became a fan favourite in RCB on his second stint with the franchise when he returned to IPL 2022. He donned the finisher’s role with perfection and smashed 796 runs in his last three seasons of the cash-rich league.
“Welcome our keeper in every sense, Dinesh Karthik, back into RCB in an all new avatar. DK will be the Batting coach and Mentor of RCB Men’s team!,” RCB made an official announcement on their social media.
The franchise urged its fans to shower love on the veteran wicketkeeper batter.
“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 wrote on X.
On the appointment as Batting Coach and Batting Mentor, Dinesh Karthik said, “Coaching at a professional level is incredibly exciting for me and is something I’m truly passionate about as a new chapter in my life. Hopefully, the breadth of my experiences as a player can contribute to the development of the group and bring added value.
RCB enjoy a massive fanbase but yet to win an IPL title since the inception of the tournament. The franchise has tried and tested several combinations of captain and coach, but nothing has worked for them over the years. They came close to winning the title thrice but suffered defeats in the finals of 2008 to Deccan Chargers, 2011 against Chennai Super Kings and 2016 versus Sunrisers Hyderabad.