Watch: Emotional Dinesh Karthik gets 'guard of honour' as the RCB wicketkeeper hints IPL retirement

Experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik indicated that he could have competed in his final Indian Premier League game following RCB's defeat to Rajasthan in the IPL 2024 Eliminator on Wednesday.

Karthik, aged 39, received a guard of honour from his teammates as he walked off the field, expressing gratitude to the crowd for their unwavering support during the season. Virat Kohli gave Karthik a hug as he tried to hold back his emotions.

From #RCB to Dinesh Karthik ❤️ #TATAIPL | #RRvRCB | #TheFinalCall | #Eliminator | @RCBTweets | @DineshKarthik pic.twitter.com/p2XI7A1Ta6

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 22, 2024

Despite not making an official announcement, Karthik implied during the tournament that this current season would likely be his final one with his franchise in the IPL.

Dinesh Karthik played in 257 games in the IPL, starting his career with Delhi Daredevils in the first season of the tournament. He played for six teams in the IPL and also captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the playoffs in IPL 2018. The batter accumulated 4842 runs with an average of 26.32 and a strike rate of 135.36.

He ranks second in the league for wicketkeeping, with 174 dismissals, including 137 catches and 37 stumpings, just behind MS Dhoni. Dhoni leads with a total of 190 dismissals, comprising 148 catches and 42 stumpings.

Karthik and Mumbai Indians legend Rohit Sharma are tied for second place in the list of most capped players in IPL history with 257 T20s. Dhoni, who has not yet declared his retirement from IPL, is leading with 264 matches and more to come.

A few of us are not 100%: Sanju Samson's big revelation after winning IPL 2024 Eliminator | RCB vs RR