Dinesh Karthik joins London Spirit as batting coach and mentor
What's the story
Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has been named as the mentor and batting coach of London Spirit, a franchise in The Hundred. This will be Karthik's first stint with a franchise in England's 100-ball tournament. Mo Bobat, the director of cricket at London Spirit and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), welcomed Karthik to the team. He said that Karthik's unique thinking and extensive experience in short-format cricket would be invaluable for them.
New journey
Karthik expresses excitement over new role
Karthik, who has retired from international cricket, expressed his enthusiasm for joining London Spirit. He said, "What an exciting time to be joining London Spirit." The 40-year-old, who retired from the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024, later worked in the Royal Challengers Benglauru's coaching setup. He is currently playing for Sharjah Warriorz in the UAE's ILT20.
Career highlights
A look Karthik's career
In 414 T20s, Karthik has scored 7,554 runs at a strike rate of 136.52. The wicketkeeper-batter also represented India in 60 T20Is, scoring 686 runs at a strike rate of 142.61. He also played 26 Tests and 94 ODIs. The Tamil Nadu cricketer was part of the Mumbai Indians team that won the IPL in 2013. He played for five other IPL teams, featuring in 257 matches. After retiring from Indian cricket, Karthik ventured into franchise T20 leagues.
Information
New role for Karthik
As mentioned, Karthik is set for his first coaching role with a franchise outside the IPL. He has featured as a player in South Africa's SA20 and the UAE's ILT20.