Dinesh Karthik's valiant effort at the crease wasn't enough to secure victory for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Monday, but his fighting spirit earned him a standing ovation from the home crowd at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Chasing a daunting target of 288 set by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Karthik smashed a blistering 83 runs off just 35 balls, reminding fans of his past heroics despite being out of the Indian team since the 2022 T20 World Cup. His knock included five boundaries and seven sixes, single-handedly reviving RCB's chase after a shaky start that saw them lose their top four batsmen within the first 10 overs.
Karthik's innings helped RCB set a new record for the highest ever second-innings total in IPL history. However, their valiant effort fell short as they fell 25 runs behind SRH's mammoth score.
While SRH secured the victory, the night belonged to Karthik as well. The passionate Chinnaswamy crowd rose to their feet in a thunderous standing ovation as he departed the field after his dismissal in the 19th over.
