Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik revealed that it was due to Virat Kohli’s invaluable advice that he turned to coaching and, in turn, led the RCB to their maiden title in the history of the IPL.
It was Dinesh Karthik, the former RCB batter, who played some invaluable innings for the Challengers between 2022 and 2024, and after his retirement, he turned to coaching for the Royal Challengers. Unexpectedly, his inclusion in the coaching staff led RCB to their maiden IPL title.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated the Punjab Kings in the final of IPL 2025. After having batted first, the Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar-led bowling lineup restricted the opposition to just 6 runs short of the target and secured the title.
He just showed me how it would look- Dinesh Karthik
Former Indian wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik opened up recently about how he went on to become the batting coach and mentor for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru within a year after having announced his retirement from the IPL.
The 40-year-old former RCBian opined that he had a stunning bond with RCB Director of Cricket Mo Bobat, and it was the Englishman who sowed the seed of coaching in his mind.
“It manifested when, as I was finishing in 2024, Mo asked me if I would be keen or interested. I was in the middle of the tournament, and it was a very different IPL season—we had lost six out of seven or seven out of eight games, I don’t remember exactly—and we had a mountain to climb. To be fair, nobody gave us a chance,” DK recalled the scenario from IPL 2024.
“But I was so invested in that. We were having discussions while I was playing, and I was also speaking to my wife and Mo. Malolan Rangarajan was also giving me a picture of what it could be if I played. He never told me, ‘Do this or do that.’ He just showed me how it would look,” he added.
Dinesh Karthik explains the bond with Mo Bobat
Dinesh Karthik reveals his bond with the RCB director of cricket, Mo Bobat, and says how much he can trust him and how he has grown fond of the RCB managerial head. He further revealed that Bobat took him under his wing after he revealed that head coach Andy Flower was also excited to take him under his wing.
“Mo was very confident I would be useful to the team. I trust Mo a lot – I’ve grown very fond of him and have a very good equation with him. He didn’t convince me, but he showed me exactly what it would look like and told me it’s a good place to be, considering where I was in my career. I completely trusted him, and I dropped the hat,” Karthik said on the RCB Podcast.
‘You would probably fit in quite nicely’: Virat Kohli’s advice helped Dinesh Karthik ease into a coaching role for RCB
He further added that Kohli urged him to rethink the offer, and it was the due respect from Kohli that pushed him to take over as the coach of the RCB team. Virat was very encouraging towards DK being roped in as the new RCB mentor.
“When the offer really came at the end of the season, after I hung my boots, Mo called me and said they were keen. He also said Andy was very happy, and they were in a place where they felt a couple of Indian coaching staff would help as well.”
“I remember speaking to Virat again, and he said, ‘You should do it. You would probably fit in quite nicely.’ That’s all I needed. Someone like Virat has respect for you, and it is a challenge,” he added.
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