RCB support staff catches up with old KKR teammates ahead of IPL 2025 opener [Watch]

Former India wicketkeeper batter and Royal Challengers Bengaluru's batting coach, Dinesh Karthik caught up with some of his old teammates from Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the IPL 2025 opener today, March 22. The match will be played at Kolkata's Eden Gardens.

Dinesh Karthik represented Kolkata Knight Riders for four seasons, playing from 2018 to 2021. He was appointed as the skipper of the side, before he decided to step down from that role halfway through the season in 2020, handing the responsibility to Eoin Morgan. Karthik played the season in 2021 as a keeper batter before being released by the franchise into the auction.

KKR, on their official social media account, uploaded a video of the interaction between the RCB batting coach and members of the KKR support staff. He also interacted with spinner Varun Chakaravarthy and vice-captain of KKR, Venkatesh Iyer. Take a look at the interaction below:

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Dinesh Karthik's numbers for KKR and RCB in the IPL

Dinesh Karthik represented Kolkata Knight Riders from 2018 to 2020, leading them in the competition for three years - Source: Getty

Dinesh Karthik happens to be one of the many Indian players to have played for three franchises or more. The Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper batter scored 1143 runs in 61 matches. As a captain for KKR, he led the franchise in 37 contests from 2018-2020, winning 19 games. Under Karthik, the Kolkata-based franchise qualified only once for the knockouts in 2018.

The 39-year-old played for RCB once in 2015 and from 2022 to 2024. He retired at the end of the second stint and joined the management as a batting coach. Across the two stints, Karthik scored 937 runs, even winning the Super Striker of the Year award in 2022 and earning a national team call-up at the age of 37.