NEW DELHI:
Dinesh Karthik
, the top finisher for
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
, may have played his final cricket match in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The RCB walked away with their wings melted and scorched after soaring high with six straight victories. Their aspirations of a season straight out of a fairytale were dashed on Wednesday when the Bengaluru team bowed out from the competition in the
Eliminator
.
IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP
In the Eliminator at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Rajasthan Royals defeated Bengaluru by four wickets in what was touted as a battle of the "Royals."
Emotions ran high during the cricket action in the largest stadium in the world, with the cries of "ee sala cup namde" ceasing to exist and not reaching Chennai, the location of the title match.
Removing his gloves, Karthik thanked the supporters who had stood to honor the veteran for his season-long efforts.
Soon, an unforgettable moment for the supporters of the RCB occurred when contemporary cricket legend
Virat Kohli
hugged Karthik while he was fighting back tears.
Karthik hasn't formally declared his retirement from the IPL yet, but he has made several indications during the competition that this year will be his final with his team.
The RCB players presented Karthik with a guard of honour as he made his way back into the dressing room.
The official X handle of the Indian Premier League shared a heart-warming video of the moment after the match.
Karthik was an important player for RCB during a difficult season, particularly in the death overs. His significant late-game appearances encouraged the club to an unprecedented playoffs berth.
Should this prove to be Karthik's final season, he will have finished his IPL career with 4,842 runs in 257 matches, including an incredible 22 fifty-score innings.
Karthik played for six teams in the Indian Premier League during his remarkable 17-year career.
Karthik debuted with the Delhi Daredevils (now the Delhi Capitals) in the 2008 inaugural season. After moving to Punjab in 2011, he then played for Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders and RCB.
With an incredible strike rate of 187.36 and an average of 36.22, Karthik finished the current season with 326 runs in 15 games.
(With ANI inputs)
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