During the second test match between India and Sri Lanka, a touching piece of news for Indian fans was revealed. Karn Sharma, who captivated batsmen with his left-arm spin bowling for nearly two decades, announced his retirement from all formats of cricket.
Following his team, Kanpur Superstars', defeat against Meerut Mavericks in the UP T20 League 2026, Karn could not contain his emotions. At 38 years old, he bid farewell to the sport forever with tears in his eyes.
Playing for Kanpur Superstars, Karn Sharma specified that the match scheduled for Tuesday, August 25th against Meerut, would be his last in his career. Announcing his retirement, he noted that this journey had been very beautiful. He expressed sincere gratitude to his family, BCCI, Railway, UPC, and Andhra Cricket.
After cricket, he plans to engage in coaching and the development of young players.
Karn Sharma is among the most successful and interesting players in IPL history and is considered a true mascot of cricket. He is the only Indian player to have won the IPL title with three different teams in three consecutive seasons.
Trophy Won with Hyderabad
Karn Sharma's dominance in the IPL was so significant that it was believed any team he joined would inevitably become champions. He holds a unique record—winning three IPL tournaments consecutively with three different franchises. After helping Hyderabad become champions in 2016, he moved to the Mumbai Indians.
Success with MI and CSK
The following year, in 2017, Karn joined the Mumbai Indians (MI) and helped the team win another title. This success did not stop: in 2018, when he moved to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he won the third consecutive IPL title, setting a historic record. Karn's brilliance shone again in 2021 when he won the fourth IPL title with CSK, cementing his place among the tournament's most successful players.
Career Overview
Karn Sharma began his domestic cricket journey in 2007. In the Ranji Trophy season 2012-13, he made a splash by taking 21 wickets in just 3 matches with an average of 19.04, attracting public attention. Due to this outstanding performance, he got the opportunity to wear the blue jersey of the Indian national team, where he played 1 Test, 2 ODIs, and 1 T20 International, representing India.
Throughout his career, Karn accumulated 270 wickets in 97 first-class matches. In List-A matches, he took 153 wickets, and in T20 format, using his magic spin, he dismissed 168 batsmen in 191 matches.