Not KKR and India! Dinesh Karthik names his favorite IPL team and country

Former India batter Dinesh Karthik opened up about his favorite Indian Premier League (IPL) franchisee. He called Royal Challengers Bengaluru the best team he has ever played for and also talked about the city that he loves to live in.

Dinesh Karthik has been one of the great servants of Indian cricket. The keeper-batter represented the team in all three formats, scoring runs consistently. Apart from this, he has been a legend in the Indian Premier League as well and he played brilliantly throughout his career.

Dinesh Karthik played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, now defunct Gujarat Lions, Kings XI Punjab, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the league. He made valuable contributions to the team and ended his career while playing for RCB in the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which happened earlier in 2024.

Dinesh Karthik received a huge amount of love from the fans of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In his last edition in the league, the keeper-batter made sure that he gave his best. He scored 326 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 187.36 and helped his team reach the playoffs.

During a Q&A session on Reddit, Dinesh Karthik was asked to name his favorite IPL team that he played for. He named Royal Challengers Bengaluru and explained the reason behind that, saying that the franchise has the best fan base.

He explained that not only love but fans also go hard at Royal Challengers Bengaluru when they lose. But stated that he enjoyed playing with the team and had a fun time. Speaking in a video posted on Sky Sports' YouTube, he explained:

"Yeah, it's been one of my favourite teams to play for, RCB. It's got a great fan following, that's the best part about playing for that team. They love you to bits, but if you don't do well, they'll come hard at you as well, which is something I'm okay with and it's been a real fun time playing and representing RCB."

Dinesh Karthik played 257 in IPL, scoring 4,842 runs at an average of 26.32. He will now be joining Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the mentor of the the for the next edition of the tournament.

Dinesh Karthik names his favorite city to stay in

Dinesh Karthik was also asked to name his favorite city, replying to which he named London. While explaining the reason behind the same, he said that there's so much for him and his family to do there, and he also enjoys the weather. He explained:

"London. There's so much to do for me and my family most importantly. I love the city and the weather as well when it doesn't rain. I promise you when it doesn't rain."

Dinesh Karthik has played 26 Tests, 94 ODIs, and 60 T20Is between 2004 and 2022. He made his debut at the age of 19 in an ODI against England at Lord’s. The keeper-batter scored 1025 runs in Tests, 1725 in ODIs, and 686 in T20Is. He also won the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 with India.