Dipika Pallikal Karthik (born 21 September 1991) is an Indian professional squash player. In December 2012 she became the first Indian woman to break into the top ten of the world rankings. With Joshna Chinappa she won the women’s doubles gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, India’s first ever Commonwealth Games medal in squash, and she has won world doubles titles and several Asian Games medals. She is married to the cricketer Dinesh Karthik.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Dipika Rebecca Pallikal Karthik |
| Born | 21 September 1991, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Age | 35 |
| Sport | Squash |
| Turned professional | 2006 |
| Highest ranking | World No. 10 (December 2012) |
| Mother | Susan Pallikal (former India cricketer) |
| Spouse | Dinesh Karthik (m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 sons |
| Honours | Arjuna Award (2012), Padma Shri (2014) |
Early Life
Pallikal was born in Chennai into a Malayali Syrian Christian family. Her mother, Susan, played cricket for India. She took up squash at about ten, played her first international tournament in London in the sixth standard and won several European junior titles. She trained for a time in Egypt and later under the Australian former world champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald.
Career
In 2011 she won three titles on the women’s tour, in California, New York and Hong Kong. In January 2012 she reached the final of the Tournament of Champions in New York, played on a glass court in Grand Central Terminal, and that year she became the first Indian to reach the semi-finals of a top-tier event, the Australian Open. She has refused to play the national championship for several years in protest at unequal prize money for women.
At Glasgow in 2014 she and Joshna Chinappa beat England’s Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro to win the doubles gold. They took silver at the 2018 Gold Coast Games, where she also won silver in mixed doubles with Saurav Ghosal. She won Asian Games bronze in singles in 2014 and 2018 and team silver.
After the birth of twin sons in October 2021 she returned within months and, in April 2022 in Glasgow, won the World Doubles Championships in both women’s doubles with Chinappa and mixed doubles with Ghosal. At the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023 she won gold in mixed doubles with Harinder Pal Sandhu and bronze in the women’s team event.
Personal Life
She married Dinesh Karthik in 2015 in both Christian and Hindu ceremonies. Their twin sons are named Kabir and Zian. She has also modelled and runs an interior design business.
Awards and Honours
Major Medals
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Dipika Pallikal born?
Dipika Pallikal was born on 21 September 1991 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and is 35 years old.
What honours has Dipika Pallikal received?
Arjuna Award (2012), Padma Shri (2014).
Featured image: Dipika Pallikal plays at the Tournament of Champions, Grand Central Terminal, New York, January 2012. Photo by julesgriff, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
