Dinesh Karthik dons a new hat in 'The Hundred' for London Spirits
Karthik was RCB's mentor and batting coach in their maiden IPL title campaign
London Spirits' support staff will have a similar look as RCB's in IPL 2025
Former Indian wicket-keeper batter and commentator Dinesh Karthik has been appointed mentor and batting coach of the Men's Hundred Team- London Spirits. Dinesh Karthik performed the same role for RCB this year in their maiden IPL title campaign. Under Karthik's mentorship, RCB won their first IPL trophy in 18 years, which definitely raised his stakes as a potent support staff in the league circuit around the world.
London Spirit's director of cricket Mo Bobat lauded Karthik's cricketing acumen and welcomed him into the Spirit's setup in a warm official statement.
"It's a pleasure to welcome DK to London Spirit," Spirit director of cricket Mo Bobat said in a statement. "He is a truly original thinker in our game and his vast experience in short-format and franchise cricket will be invaluable to us. He's also great fun to work with and brings an infectious energy and enthusiasm to everything he does.
The signing of another elite individual with significant stature in the game demonstrates our ambition, and the importance we place on ensuring that our players receive the best possible support," Bobat said in the statement.
The London Spirits management now has an RCB imprint all over it, as Mo Bobat was the Director of Cricket for RCB while Andy Flower was the head coach and Karthik assumed the same responsibilities that he will for the London Spirits next year.
Dinesh Karthik Special London Connection
Dinesh Karthik, who is currently handling commentary duties around the world welcomed the opportunity with open hands. While expressing his gratitude for the opportunity, Karthik reminiscence his playing days and shared his special connection with Lords, which is the home ground of London Spirits.
Dinesh Karthik said, "What an exciting time to be joining London Spirit. "When I heard about the plans and the ambitions of Mo, MCC and the Tech Titans, I was really enthusiastic to join. To spend the English summer working at Lord's is truly a dream come true. It is the ground where I made my debut for India and I played my last Test match - Lord's is very close to my heart.
"I can't wait to see the squad come together and to work with some exceptional cricketers next year," he further added.
Dinesh Karthik featured inconsistently for India in his long international career spanning 18 years as his career collided with the legendary MS Dhoni. He played 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 60 T20Is before announcing his retirement on June 1, 2024 from international cricket.
