WATCH: RCB players give Dinesh Karthik guard of honour with retirement confirmed
Karthik, who had indicated earlier in the season that he might call it quits after the end of IPL 2024, took off his gloves and waved to the crowd in an emotional moment.Â
After the culmination of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) Eliminator match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), RCB players were seen giving a guard of honour to veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik.
Karthik, who has indicated earlier in the season that he might call it quits after the end of IPL 2024, took off his gloves and waved to the crowd in an emotional moment.
Karthik also shared an emotional embrace with former RCB skipper Virat Kohli after Rovman Powell hit the winning runs for Rajasthan in their successful chase of 173. Karthik, however, is yet to officially confirm his retirement, although Andy Flower confirmed after the game that Karthik's IPL career had come to an end.
The 38-year-old has enjoyed an illustrious career and will finish IPL after amassing 4842 runs in 257 matches, including 22 fifties. The dynamic right-hander finishes in the top 10 run-getters list in IPL history.
DK signing off 💔💔 pic.twitter.com/Nwzp06wrRM
— Archer (@poserarcher) May 22, 2024
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Rajasthan Royals end RCB's fairytale comeback
Speaking about the match, it was a heartbreaking defeat for Faf du Plessis' men as they succumbed to a loss after a fairytale comeback to make it to the IPL 2024 playoffs.
RCB were reeling at the bottom of the table at one point, winning only one out of the 8 matches but managed to register six victories on the trot, including a win against defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to knock them out of the playoffs race and secure the final spot.
However, Sanju Samson-led RR prevailed in the decisive clash. The RR bowlers did a splendid job to restrict RCB to a moderate total of 172 for 8 in 20 overs.
They then chased it down comfortably with 4 wickets and six balls to spare. RR will next lock horns against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Qualifier 2 on Friday (May 24) in a bid to seal the final berth against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
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