Faf du Plessis' stint with RCB done and dusted!! Michael Vaughan makes sensational claims on RCB captain and Dinesh Karthik

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has urged Dinesh Karthik to continue playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He has also claimed that RCB will not retain Faf du Plessis ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.

While the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman has not announced his retirement formally, the scenes at the end of the Eliminator between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals indicated that his days as a player in the IPL have come to an end.

After RCB suffered a four-wicket loss to bow out of IPL 2024, Dinesh Karthik received a guard of honor from his teammates and also looked emotional while walking off the field. He even waved at the fans after the defeat, hinting that he has decided to bring down the curtains on his long IPL career.

Also Read: Andy Flower blames Mohammed Siraj and company for RCB's exit; hints at Siraj's exclusion next year

And while Karthik might have made up his mind on his retirement, Michael Vaughan is hopeful that the veteran player will continue to ply his trade in the IPL. Speaking to Cricbuzz, the former cricketer-turned-commentator said that Karthik has been playing well enough and should continue to do that. 

Vaughan also hinted that RCB might decide to release Faf du Plessis after he failed to end their long wait for an IPL trophy. The former cricketer expressed his surprise over RCB's failure to win the IPL even once so far and said that they have always been let down by the bowlers.

"Dinesh Karthik... is that the last time we are going to see him? I hope he carries on. I'll advise him to play on. He's playing well enough," Vaughan said.

"Faf du Plessis... is that the last time we see him play for RCB? A lot of these players have been together for a long time, but that the franchise has never won the IPL is absolutely staggering. The amount of money that they've spent, the amount of batting power... they have always been let down by the bowlers," he added.

Dinesh Karthik in IPL 2024:

Dinesh Karthik has had a fine outing in IPL 2024. The right-handed batsman played a number of impactful knocks for his team to show his worth. In 15 games, he scored 326 runs with the help of two half-centuries. Karthik scored his runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of almost 190.

Karthik has been playing in the IPL since the inaugural season and is one of the most decorated batters in the history of the league. He is tenth in the list of most runs scored by a player in the IPL. Karthik has scored 4842 runs in 257 games so far.