Dipika Pallikal Karthik is an Indian squash player. She is the first Indian to get featured in the top 10 World Rankings by the Professional Squash Association. Also, she is the wife of the renowned Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik. Dipika started her career in the fashion industry. However, later she found his way into Squash and etched her name in the annals of history. She reached the final of the Chennai Open in 2008, beating the first and third seeds on her way. The Indian squash icon is known to play a prominent role in making Squash popular among the Indian masses.

In this blog, we will explore the life of Indian squash player Dipika Pallikal Karthik, her journey, career, achievements, family, marriage, photos, etc.

About Dipika Pallikal

The Chennai-born athlete started playing Squash at a time when it was considered a sport for the elite few. Dipika played her first international tournament in London when she was in sixth grade. Her first real potential in the sport could be seen when she reached the final of the Chennai Open in 2008. To reach the finale, she had defeated the first and third seeds.

The first honours came two years later when she won her Tour title in 2010 after toppling the top two seeds to claim the Indian Challenger No.5 trophy. Thereafter, she went on to double her tally by clinching the Nepal Open. By 2011, she was in the world’s top-30, before improving her climb up to the top-20 after winning several titles throughout the year. That year, Dipika also achieved a credit-worthy quarter-final place at the World Championship.

Sports Career of Dipika Pallikal

2012

Her amazing form continued in 2012 when Pallikal made it to the final of the prestigious Tournament of Champions in January. However, Natalie Grinham comfortably beat her in the final match.

She was also a major part of the Indian squash team that finished 5th in the Women’s World Team Squash Championships. India was seeded tenth in the event and defeated higher-ranked Ireland and the Netherlands in the process. Pallikal defeated seasoned players like Madeline Perry in the tournament.

In December 2012, she broke into the top ten for the first time, also becoming the first Indian to achieve the distinction. She then went on to become the first Female Squash player to be conferred with the Arjuna Award, India’s second-highest sporting award, in that year.

2013

2013 was a big year for India, as the country bagged two prestigious titles.

The most notable of the two was the Macau Open triumph that came in October. In February 2013, Dipika won the sixth WSA title of her career after defeating Joey Chan of Hong Kong in straight sets 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 in the final of the Meadowood Pharmacy Open in Winnipeg.

2014

If 2013 was big, 2014 turned out to be even bigger and spectacular. In 2014, Dipika partnered with Joshna Chinappa to win India's first medal in Squash. They had defeated Laura Massaro and Jenny Duncalf of England to pocket the historic gold.

2015

Later, after featuring at the JSW Circuit in 2014, Pallikal collected her 10th Tour title in January 2015 after triumphing at the Winter Club Open. A month later, she missed out on the Granite Open title after being defeated by Sarah-Jane Perry.

2016

Dipika managed to reach the final of the Victoria Open in 2016, where she eventually lost to Millie Tomlinson after five games. The squash player then backed this up by going one further and sealing victory in the Australian Open when she beat Egyptian Mayar Hany over four games.

2021-23: The Comeback

In 2021, Dipika became a mother to twin boys.Though fulfilling a big responsibility, she didn't give up on her sports career.She returned to the court with a keen focus on the doubles Format.

In 2022, Dipika rocked the charts with her amazing gameplay.She won two gold medals in the World Doubles Squash Championships-one in women’s doubles and the other in mixed doubles. Notably, the squash professional also won a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The phenomenal time for Dipika came in the 2023 Asian Games, where she scripted history..Playing with Harinder Pal Sandhu, she won the gold medal in mixed doubles, the first time anyone had ever done that in the Asian Games.This redefined her aura as one of the most accomplished players in Indian squash history.

Dipika Pallikal Karthik and Joshna Chinappa- Rivals?

Both Joshna and Dipika have a good camaraderie on and off the court.

Only a month after Joshna and Dipika scripted history by winning India’s first-ever gold at the Commonwealth Games 2014, both of them lost their cool on the court during the Asian Games 2014 in Incheon, South Korea. They had a heated exchange of words, which unfortunately resulted in the successful pair splitting up. They were reportedly not even on talking terms.

The incident happened during the quarter-finals match between the two, where Dipika defeated her doubles partner, Joshna. She went on to win India’s first women’s singles medal at the Asian Games.

Even before the Games, both Dipika and Joshna had named the draw as being “unfortunate” as both the Indians were in the same pool.

“It is back to normal between us. We have known each other way too long to not sort out our differences. And we also live in the same city (Chennai). Besides that, both of us realize the importance of playing together and get more medals for India,” later revealed Joshna.

Dipika, who is five years junior to Joshna, too has reportedly now moved on from the Incheon incident.

Dipika Pallikal Family: Marriage and Parents

Dipika Pallikal was born to Sanjiv Pallikal and Susan Pallikal (née Itticheria) in Chennai on 21st September 1991. Hers is a Malayali family, as both Sanjiv and Susan are natives of Kerala. Dipika got her sporting genes from her mother, who has represented the Indian women’s team in international cricket. She also has two siblings named Diya Pallikal and Divya Pallikal.

Marriage: Dinesh Karthik and Dipika Pallikal

Dinesh Karthik and Dipika Pallikal Karthik (Image Source: Instagram)

Dipika met Dinesh Karthik, a Chennai-born Indian cricketer, in 2013 at a gym, where they both frequented. In fact, they also shared the same fitness coach. Their friendship grew stronger and later culminated in a relationship when Dinesh popped the question in London. The duo tied the knot in August 2015.

Achievements

Titles

• Indian Challenger 2010
• Macau Open 2013
• Meadowood Pharmacy Open 2013
• Winter Club Open 2015
• Granite Open (runner-up) 2015
• Australian Open 2016

International Games

• Gold – 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games (Women's Doubles)
• Silver – 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (Women's Doubles)
• Silver – 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games (Mixed Doubles)
• Bronze – 2014 Incheon Asian Games (Women's Singles)
• Silver – 2014 Incheon Asian Games (Women's Team)
• Bronze – 2018 Jakarta Asian Games (Women's Singles)
• Gold – 2022 World Doubles Squash Championships (Women’s doubles)
• Gold – 2022 World Doubles Squash Championships (Mixed doubles)
• Bronze – 2023 Commonwealth Games (mixed doubles)

Dipika Pallikal Awards

• Arjuna award in 2012
• Padma Shri in 2014
• Big star, most entertaining sportsperson of the year 2013

Social Media