K. Gowtham (white shirt) with his wife and daughter, alongside KSCA office bearers Santosh Menon (left), Venkatesh Prasad and Sujith Somasunder (right).
| Photo Credit: Ashwin Achal
All-rounder K. Gowtham, architect of many a famous victory for Karnataka, announced his retirement here on Monday.
An off-spinner and attacking batter, Gowtham featured in 59 First Class and 68 List ‘A’ games for Karnataka. The 37-year-old, a gritty and combative presence on the field, earned one ODI cap for India (against Sri Lanka in 2021).
His memorable performances include an eight-wicket haul against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy in 2019, which powered Karnataka to an exciting 26-run win. Gowtham’s last First Class fixture came in February 2023.
In the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final against Tamil Nadu, Gowtham defended 13 runs in the last over to give his side a one-run victory.
Gowtham made history as the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history when he was signed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for ₹9.25 crore at the 2021 auction. In 2018, Gowtham was signed for ₹6.2 crore by Rajasthan Royals.
Gowtham spoke with pride about representing Karnataka for the entirety of his domestic career.
“While I had the option of going to another State, I never seriously considered it. I began my journey as a proud Karnataka cricketer, and I never thought about playing for another State,” Gowtham said on Monday.
Published – December 22, 2025 06:27 pm IST
