IPL 2024: Dinesh Karthik gets emotional farewell walking off field possibly for one last time

Dinesh Karthik finished his illustrious Indian Premier League (IPL) career as the joint second-most capped player alongside Rohit Sharma. In his 257th IPL encounter, his team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a four-wicket defeat to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator to crash out of the tournament.

On Wednesday, May 22, Karthik made his final IPL 2024 appearance at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, as Rajasthan Royals chased down a 173-run target to march into Qualifier 2.

After the gut-wrenching defeat, Karthik was congratulated on likely end of an epic career by the opposition players before leading his team off the field. More than 85,000 spectators chanted 'DK, DK' to appreciate the contributions of the Tamil Nadu cricketer.

Notably, the 38-year-old has represented six teams during his IPL career - Gujarat Lions, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He had earlier confirmed that the 17th edition of the tournament will be his last dance. By the end of 2024 season, the stumper-batter has 4,842 runs in the league's history at an average of 26.32 and a strike rate of 135.36.

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RCB's comeback story concludes without a fairy-tale ending

RCB lost seven out of their first eight games in IPL 2024 before pulling off a tremendous turnaround that saw them winning six games in a row en route to the playoffs.

On Wednesday, Faf du Plessis lost the toss and RR asked them to bat first. They posted 172/8 in their 20 overs on the back of handy contributions from Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Mahipal Lomror. Rajasthan were quite disciplined with the ball, with Avesh Khan finishing with a three-for.

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In reply, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag played fluent knocks before West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell steered the inaugural champions home with an over to spare. Now, RR will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 on Friday, May 24 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in what promises to be a high-octane clash. The winner will advance to the final and face Kolkata Knight Riders.