Two of the most popular teams in the IPL, CSK and RCB have contested few of the most exciting clashes in the history of the cash-rich league. And, one man who has had the privilege of enjoying the tense rivalry from both the dressing rooms is KB Arun Karthik.

Famously known for his last-ball six for RCB against South Australia during the 2011 CLT20, Arun Karthik was a part of CSK’s squad for three seasons from 2008-2010, before making the switch to RCB ahead of IPL 2011.

Having spent some quality time with both the teams, Arun Karthik shed light on the differences in the modus operandi of CSK and RCB.

Arun Karthik was picked in the MS Dhoni-led CSK squad ahead of the 2008 IPL season but with the CSK skipper himself and Parthiv Patel ahead of him in the pecking order for the wicketkeeper’s spot, the TN-based wicketkeeper-batsman had to watch a major chunk of the action from the sidelines.

“CSK fans accepted MS Dhoni as their captain”

Although India had won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, the concept of T20 cricket was very new and as per Arun Karthik, there was a lot of expectations to be met from the IPL.

A post shared by Arun Karthick KB (@arunkarthickkb) on Apr 20, 2020 at 10:06pm PDT

And, given that CSK was one of the few teams without a marquee player from the state, CSK fans accepted MS Dhoni as their captain

Having played one match for CSK across three seasons, Arun Karthik’s move to RCB in 2011 brought with it a lot of game time for the wicketkeeper-batsman. However, Arun Karthik was also one of the new entrants into the team which wore a very new outlook, with the RCB management opting to retain just Virat Kohli ahead of the IPL 2011 season.

While Arun Karthik claims that the rivalry between the two sides was not as much in focus when compared to the present day, the 34-year-old recalled having had a lot of fun during his tenure with RCB.

A post shared by Arun Karthick KB (@arunkarthickkb) on May 1, 2020 at 5:34am PDT

With buckets of experience from the Indian domestic circuit and in the IPL, Arun Karthik was most recently in action for Puducherry in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season.

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