Karn finishes with four IPL trophies to his name and played one Test, two ODIs and one T20I in a short international career in 2014.
“I now want to retire… I am extremely grateful to my family, BCCI, Railways, UPCA, Andhra, Vidarbha Cricket Association and everyone who has supported me throughout this journey,” Karn, 38, said while making the announcement. “After this, I will be available for coaching and other responsibilities related to the game of cricket.”
That, though, was Karn’s last international appearance. He was picked for a limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe in 2015, but an injury kept him out of action and he never came close to adding to his four international appearances.
In 2018, Karn became the first player to win three IPL titles in a row, a short list that includes only Suyash Sharma and Phil Salt. What was unique about his feat was that he did so with three different teams: SRH (2016), Mumbai Indians (2017) and Chennai Super Kings (2018). During this period, Karn also played for Vidarbha in the 2017-18 domestic season and Andhra in the 2018-19 season, before returning to Railways.
Karn’s last IPL game was in 2025 with MI, and was part of the Railways teams across formats in the 2025-26 domestic season. In 97 first-class matches, he took 270 wickets at an average of 27.60, with 14 five-wicket hauls. He also scored 2866 runs in 138 first-class innings, with two centuries and 17 fifties.
In 123 List-A matches, he took 153 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls, while in 191 T20s he grabbed 168 wickets, including 83 wickets in 90 IPL matches. During this period, he also scored one century and six half-centuries in List-A cricket, and another two fifties in T20s.
