IPL 2021: Dinesh Karthik on cusp of joining elite list

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik is just 54 runs away from joining an elite list of players. Karthik currently has 3946 runs to his name in 204 IPL games and if he can score another 54, he will join the list of players who have scored 4000 runs in IPL. Currently, Virat Kohli leads the charts of most runs with 6081 runs, followed by Delhi Capitals’ Shikhar Dhawan and Chennai Super Kings' Suresh Raina, who’ve scored 5577 and 5495 runs respectively. Karthik's 54th run will make him the 11th player to score 4000 runs. Till now, seven Indian and three overseas players have managed to achieve the feat.

Karthik played for teams like Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Gujarat Lions before being roped in by the Kolkata Knight Riders. Karthik’s best performance with the bat came in 2013 while playing for Mumbai Indians where he scored 510 runs. He also scored 498 runs in 16 games for KKR in the 2018 season. However, the ace batter has not been the same and has struggled with the bat. He even left KKR’s captaincy midway through the 2020 season. The Men in Purple will be hoping that the veteran explodes in the current season.