Dinesh Karthik Responds to Speculation About Mentoring Afghanistan for T20 World Cup 2026

January 3, 2026:  The charismatic Dinesh Karthik is the batting coach and mentor of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His guidance played a key role in helping RCB win their first-ever title last year. The 40-year-old has also worked as a commentator in big series and events. Ahead of The Hundred 2026, he was appointed as the mentor and batting coach of the London Spirit.

As warm-up matches for the T20 World Cup 2026 began on Monday, February 2, reports suggested that Karthik would join the Afghanistan team as a mentor. However, the former Indian wicketkeeper reacted to a tweet claiming that the Blue Tigers had announced him as their mentor. His reaction shows that these reports are false.

During his international career, Karthik played 26 Tests, 94 ODIs, and 60 T20Is, scoring 1,025, 1,752, and 686 runs in the three formats, respectively. He also played 257 IPL matches, scoring 4,842 runs with an average of 26.32 and a strike rate of 135.37.

🤔🤷🏽 https://t.co/6ddJYtuSgF

— DK (@DineshKarthik) February 2, 2026

Dinesh Karthik’s Batting Skills Could Boost Afghanistan

The former Tamil Nadu captain is known for his smart and innovative batting. He can hit all around the park and sometimes uses unusual shots to confuse the bowlers. If he eventually joins Afghanistan as a mentor, it could be very good for the Rashid Khan-led team.

Afghanistan in Group D

Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup in 2024. They lost to South Africa but earned praise from fans and experts for their performance in the West Indies and the USA.

In the 2026 edition, Afghanistan is in Group D with South Africa, Canada, and New Zealand. This group is considered very tough, often called the “group of death.” Afghanistan will begin their campaign on Sunday, February 7, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.