It was a moment of elation for former Cricketer Dinesh Karthik and India’s squash mainstay Dipika Pallikal, who welcomed and introduced their newborn to the world with an Instagram post on Thursday. Raaha Pallikal Karthik, the newest addition in the family, is the third child and younger sister to brothers Kabir and Zian. “With blessings in our hearts and gratitude beyond words, we joyfully welcome our precious girl into this world. Kabir and Zian are thrilled to introduce their baby sister, Raaha Pallikal Karthik. Love, Dipika & Dinesh.”
As soon as Dinesh and Dipika dropped the post on Instagram, it went viral instantly. Former teammates Virat Kohli and Axar Patel were a few notable names in the list, who congratulated the couple on the occasion with comments.
Check out the post and comments here:
Notably, the couple got married in 2015 and welcomed their twins in 2021.
Karthik had a long cricketing career representing India before making his transition into coaching and commentary in international series and domestic T20 tournaments such as IPL. Over more than two decades, he has served as mentor and batting coach for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Dipika has been one of the few distinguished players in Indian squash, whose name got synonyms with the sport itself. With multiple medals for India at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, she was the first Indian women’s player to break into top 10 rankings in the world.
Pallikal’s most recent competitive appearance was at the Hangzhou Asian Games in October 2023, where she topped the podium with a gold medal in mixed doubles. Her post-maternity comeback in 2022 was nothing short of spectacular; she secured two World Doubles Squash Championship titles and a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games shortly after returning to the court.
IPL 2026 Challenge Awaits
Dinesh Karthik has transitioned into a key coaching role with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as their batting coach. He joins an elite leadership group spearheaded by head coach Andy Flower and bowling coach Omkar Salvi.
