IPL 2022: Three teams that will be in the race to sign up Dinesh Karthik
The IPL mega auction is upon us. While the dates are yet to be confirmed, the event is set to take place in the second week of February in Bengaluru. The existing eight teams have all announced their retentions for the upcoming auction. They were allowed to retain a maximum of four players. The newly-added two teams have also chosen their three players each. Now all the remaining IPL superstars will be up for sale in the auction.
Dinesh Karthik, an IPL veteran, will also go under the hammer. He was released by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the auction. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been a hot property in the T20 tournament. Karthik has already represented six IPL teams in his glittering career.
In 213 IPL matches, Karthik has accumulated 4,046 runs with 19 half-centuries. He also boasts of 155 dismissals in the T20 competition. He is in a blazing form as his 116 in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy suggests. Here are three teams who are likely to wage a bidding war for his services.
Mumbai Indians
The five-time IPL champions did not retain their wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock and their primary finisher Hardik Pandya. Karthik is capable of fulfilling both roles single-handedly. Batting in the lower middle order, the right-handed batsman can score boundaries all around the park in the death overs. Chipping in as a full-time wicketkeeper, he will be able to contribute in both innings. Karthik has played for Mumbai before. He featured in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He was the 2nd highest run-getter for MI in their maiden IPL-winning season with a tally of 510 runs.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
While the Bangalore side enjoyed one of their successful seasons in 2021, they faced a massive blow by the time it ended. Virat Kohli stepped down as their captain. In November, AB de Villiers announced his retirement from the IPL. His absence opens up a slot for a senior batsman who can attack all kinds of bowlers. Batting in the lower middle order, Karthik will be able to complement Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and the rest of the RCB batting line-up. In IPL 2015, Karthik was a part of the franchise but did not enjoy a fruitful season. A fresh opportunity this year may bode well for both the player and the team.
Chennai Super Kings
Despite representing six different teams in the IPL, Karthik is yet to play for his home state/city. The 36-year-old grew up playing his junior cricket in Tamil Nadu and continues to represent them in domestic cricket but is yet to don the yellow jersey. A few years ago, Karthik had expressed his desire to play for CSK in a video interaction with Harsha Bhogle and this year, his wish may come true. With CSK playing half of their matches on Karthik’s home turf, he could well turn out to be an extremely valuable asset. The wicketkeeper-batsman will be a handy finisher for the Men in Yellow.
