Dinesh Karthik returns to RCB as batting coach and mentor

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have appointed recently retired wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik as the men's batting coach and mentor for IPL. The franchise announced Karthik's "new avatar" in a social media post on Monday, July 1.

Karthik announced his retirement from all forms of cricket at the start of June, saying he wanted to put his playing days behind him to focus on the "new challenges that lie ahead".

In his playing days, he was a well-respected figure and a vital cog at RCB, performing the role of the lower-order finisher with excellence.

"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! 🤩🫡 You can take the man out of cricket but not cricket out of the man! 🙌 Shower him with all the love, 12th Man Army! ❤️," the franchise wrote on X.

Karthik played 60 matches for RCB (the second-most for him after Kolkata Knight Riders) across four seasons — 2015, 2022, 2023, and 2024, scoring 937 runs at an average of 24.66 and a strike rate of 162.96.

“Please be there for me” - Dinesh Karthik’s plea to the fans

In a video message after the announcement, Karthik thanked the RCB fans for supporting him as a player and promised to win the elusive title as a coach.

“When I landed in New York just a few days ago for this World Cup, the first person I met was wearing an RCB shirt and took an autograph,” he said.

“That shows how powerful and how global the RCB brand is. Across the length and breadth of the world, fans keep supporting RCB. And to have been a part of the team as a player and now that I’ve got the opportunity to be a mentor and a batting coach, I am looking forward to it,” Karthik continued.

He added:

“Please be there for me like you were for me as a player. I will do the best I can. There is one unfulfilled goal, isn’t it — winning the title? As a player, very very close to it a few times. But as a coach, I promise you, we’ll make it happen. RCB lifting the trophy is going to happen very, very soon. Take care, stay with us and keep supporting us.”

RCB finished fourth in the IPL 2024 points table and lost to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator.