Dinesh Karthik makes mockery of Shahid Afridi's career with SAVAGE comment, leaves Hussain in splits

Dinesh Karthik has strongly hinted that the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season will be his last, signaling an impending retirement following his stint with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Since joining RCB in the 2022 IPL mega auction, Karthik's three-year contract is set to conclude at the end of the current season, with a new mega auction scheduled for May.

Also Read: 'Rohit Sharma? We're going to get him from Mumbai': LSG coach Justin Langer makes massive admission

Dinesh Karthik takes a jibe at Shahid Afridi

In a playful jab at former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi's multiple retirements, Dinesh Karthik discussed the challenges of deciding when to retire from the sport. The seasoned Indian wicketkeeper-batsman also revealed two career regrets: not staying with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2014 and never playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

"You know I have had this in conversation with both of you at different points in time during my last stint in the UK on how you decide when to retire; is there something called a nice swansong? It is coming to an end. It has come to an end. I did bat well in a couple of games. I felt good, which was very surprising. It is not easy mixing, brodcasting, and playing. I played the DY Patil Tournament and felt abysmal in it," Karthik shared on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast with Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton.

He added, "Unless you are Shahid Afridi (on retirement), but in most cases, once it's done, it's done. How I look at it is, once you finish, do I regret anything or am I missing anything? I have a couple of regrets. One missed the opportunity to be retained by the Mumbai Indians. I think I missed the opportunity; they were keen on me not playing for the Super Kings because I am from Chennai. They have always bid for me but could never get me. I wish I could turn the clock back and change things."

Also Read: 'It will be great if India finds a way to have these 3 in the T20 WC 11': Prasad's interesting take

Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi is infamous for announcing retirements multiple times in his career and then taking them back. Dinesh Karthik's comment on Sky Sports was a jibe at Shahid Afridi.