RCB have announced Dinesh Karthik as their batting coach and mentor for the men's team.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru posted an update on social media today (July 1), naming Karthik as the batting coach and mentor for the men's team.
Karthik had announced that IPL 2024 would be his last season as a player before the tournament. Speaking on his appointment as RCB batting coach, 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."
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! 🤩🫡
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) July 1, 2024
You can take the man out of cricket but not cricket out of the man! 🙌 Shower him with all the… pic.twitter.com/Cw5IcjhI0v
RCB finished fourth on the points table in IPL 2024, after making a memorable comeback from the last position more than halfway into the tournament. They lost in the Eliminator against Rajasthan Royals.
What has Karthik's IPL career been like?
Karthik had an exceptional season with the bat for RCB, scoring 326 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 187.35, including two half-centuries. Overall, he has 4,842 runs in the IPL at an average of 26.32 and a strike rate of 135.36.
Karthik started his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils in the inaugural season in 2008, before moving to Kings XI Punjab in 2011, Mumbai Indians in 2012 with whom he won the title in 2013, and back to Delhi Daredevils in 2014. RCB picked him up in 2015, before he shifted to Gujarat Lions in 2016, KKR in 2018 whom he led for two-and-a-half seasons, before finally finishing his playing career with three seasons at RCB.
Who will Karthik replace in RCB's coaching setup?
This will mark a new chapter in Karthik's IPL career, where he will be in a non-playing role for the first time. It is not clear yet if he is replacing any of the existing RCB men's support staff or will be an addition to the team.
RCB were coached by Andy Flower for the 2024 season, with Adam Griffith and Neil Mckenzie as the two main assistant coaches and Mo Bobat as the director of cricket.
Follow Wisden for all T20 World Cup updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
