Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) Dinesh Karthik marked his 250th Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Sunday, 21st April against his former team, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), at Eden Gardens.
The Indian wicketkeeper-batter has been in impressive form this season and has retained his spot in the playing XI. Although Karthik didn't perform at his best in the opening match of the tournament, he has since shown significant improvement.
Karthik joins his close friend Rohit Sharma (250) and former Indian captain MS Dhoni (257) in the elite group of players who have appeared in 250 IPL matches.
Rohit achieved this milestone in the 2024 season, while Sharma matched Dhoni's achievement when he played for MI against PBKS on Thursday, 18th April at Mullanpur Stadium.
Following MS, Rohit, and Karthik, Virat Kohli holds the fourth position on the list with 245 matches under his belt. So far, only 10 players have crossed the 200-match mark in the IPL, all of whom are Indian players.
The record for the most matches played by an overseas player in the IPL currently belongs to Kieron Pollard, who has featured in 189 matches. South African cricketing legend AB de Villiers closely follows him with 184 matches.
It must be noted Karthik's consistent performance in the lower order has put him in contention for a spot in the T20 World Cup squad. The 38-year-old has expressed his interest in participating in the 2024 tournament.
"At this stage in my life, it would be the greatest feeling for me to represent India (at the upcoming T-20 World Cup). I'm very, very keen to do so. There is nothing bigger in my life other than representing India in this T-20 World Cup," Dinesh Karthik had said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the KKR game.
- Dinesh Karthik
