He was speaking at the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit on Friday ahead of IPL 2025.
The Indian team continues to be lavished with praise after their unbeaten run of form and third-title win of the Champions Trophy 2025. While speaking at the Padukone Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence, Dinesh Karthik, the batting coach and team mentor of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), put emphasis on the impact of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He credited the league for playing a key role in India’s immense success.
“The IPL has brought out a winning mentality in all our players,” Karthik stated during a chat with Mo Bobat and Isa Guha.
Karthik explained how the IPL has strengthened India’s cricketing structure, enabling the country to field two to three teams of similar quality simultaneously. The Indian league has an increased talent pool for the national team to handpick players when needed. This vast talent pool enables India to field multiple competitive teams on the global stage at the same time.
“We can say that since the IPL has become a part of Indian cricket’s fabric, they can now field two to three teams in international cricket at the same time, and almost compete with each one of them. Right now, India is in a very privileged place where they have such a good assortment of cricketers across skill sets,” he added.
The scouts and training camps of several IPL teams have done wonders to help build the core of the current Indian team. Match winners like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya were picked by Mumbai Indians when they were just lanky boys. RCB put the limelight on the most efficient KL Rahul while Rajasthan Royals have given India a dashing opener in Yashasvi Jaiswal. The list is endless.
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As someone who has been part of the IPL since its inception and represented six different teams, Karthik shared how the league has shaped the mindset of Indian players. He discussed how exposure to international players, though initially intimidating, ultimately became a tremendous confidence booster.
“For me, the whole ideology of how Australia played at that time was a massive shock. They felt like a pack of wolves out to win every game. In my first year, I got to spend time with Glenn McGrath in close quarters and practice with him. I got to know him better and became comfortable, which helped the confidence and mindset of competing with the best”, Karthik recalled.
The 39-year-old was a part of RCB’s batting line-up for IPL 2024. He amassed 326 runs across 15 innings at a strike rate of 187.35. However, this year, instead of padding up, he will be present in the dugout as a batting coach and team mentor, driving the franchise to its elusive title.
RCB will kick off the tournament opener against defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders on March 22 at Eden Gardens.
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