Karn Sharma announces retirement from all cricket after UP T20 League loss

Karn Sharma announced his retirement from all formats of competitive cricket on August 23rd 2026 after Kanpur Superstars suffered a nine-wicket defeat to Meerut Mavericks in the ongoing UP T20 League.

The 38-year-old leg-spinner brought to a close a domestic career that stretched more than two decades, having been a regular presence in Indian domestic competitions and the Indian Premier League. Although his international record was limited, he had a long-running impact in franchise cricket and on the domestic circuit. The Indian domestic scene recognised him for his leg-spin, and reports noted his departure adds to a series of high-profile spinners leaving the IPL era.

Internationally, Sharma represented India in one Test, two ODIs and a T20I. His first-class record stands at 270 wickets in 97 matches, while he finished with 153 wickets in 123 List-A games. In T20 cricket outside the IPL, he took 168 wickets in 191 matches.

Sharma made his IPL debut in 2009 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and went on to appear in 90 IPL matches. Across those games he claimed 83 wickets and scored 352 runs. Over his IPL career he turned out for four franchises: Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians.

He leaves the IPL with four title-winning campaigns to his name: Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016, Mumbai Indians in 2017, Chennai Super Kings in 2018 (completing a run of three consecutive title seasons across different teams) and again with Chennai Super Kings in 2021. Those four trophies were noted as a prominent feature of his franchise resume.

The announcement described a career that combined a sustained domestic run, international exposure and extensive franchise experience, and said those elements keep windows open for coaching opportunities. During his time in domestic and franchise setups he shared dressing rooms with players such as Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin and Piyush Chawla, forming spin combinations in various sides. Observers in the report emphasised his longevity in domestic cricket rather than international prominence.

Sharma added that the reverse fixture against Meerut Mavericks on the 25th of August will be his final professional match.