Leg-spinner Karn Sharma has called time on his career in international and Indian domestic cricket. The 38-year-old Railways bowler announced on Saturday
night, shortly after a UP T20 league fixture between Kanpur Superstars and Meerut Mavericks, that he will play his final game when the Superstars complete their Lucknow leg commitments on August 25.
Karn's international career comprised one Test, two ODIs and one T20I, all played in 2014, and he ends his playing days with four IPL titles to his name. He expressed his gratitude to the cricketing bodies he has played under, while also outlining his next steps.
"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. After this, I will be available for coaching and other responsibilities related to the game of cricket," Karn said, as quoted by Cricinfo.
How did Karn Sharma's international career unfold?
Karn's first-class, List A and T20 careers all began in the 2007-08 season, and he quickly established himself as a genuine allrounder, marking his Ranji Trophy debut with a century. The 2012-13 campaign proved to be his turning point: three Ranji appearances yielded 21 wickets at 19.04, earning him the BCCI's Best Under-25 Cricketer award and drawing the attention of the national selectors.
His reward was a berth in India's limited-overs touring party to England in 2014. He featured in one T20I on that trip and removed Joe Root for his sole wicket of the tour. A subsequent call-up to the ODI squad for the Sri Lanka series followed, and Karn made his 50-over debut in the match where Rohit Sharma struck 264. He played one further ODI in that series but went wicketless across both appearances.
Later in 2014, Karn earned his only Test cap at Adelaide, where he claimed two wickets in each innings. That match remained his final appearance in international colours. He was named in the squad for a limited-overs assignment in Zimbabwe the following year, but injury intervened, and he never added to his tally of four caps.
What does Karn Sharma's full career record show?
Across 97 first-class matches, Karn finished with 270 wickets at an average of 27.60, supported by 14 five-wicket hauls. With the bat, he contributed 2,866 runs in 138 innings, including two centuries and 17 fifties. His 123 List A appearances brought 153 wickets with three five-wicket hauls, one century and six half-centuries. In 191 T20 matches, he took 168 wickets, of which 83 came in 90 IPL outings.
His IPL journey began memorably when Sunrisers Hyderabad secured his services at the 2014 auction for INR 3.75 crore, a record fee for an uncapped Indian player at that point. He subsequently collected three consecutive IPL titles with three separate franchises: SRH in 2016, Mumbai Indians in 2017 and Chennai Super Kings in 2018.
During that period, he also represented Vidarbha in the 2017-18 domestic season and Andhra in 2018-19 before returning to Railways. His final IPL appearance came with Mumbai Indians in 2025, and he remained part of the Railways setup right through the 2025-26 season.
