Dinesh Karthik is on the threshold of making history and will be the first Indian to feature in SA20; he will represent Paarl Royals as an overseas player in this upcoming season. The new season will commence on 9 January 2025. This marks his return to competitive cricket following his retirement from Indian cricket earlier this year.
Karthik, who had announced his retirement on his 39th birthday in June, has had an illustrious career with 180 international appearances for India, with a considerable presence in the T20 format through 401 T20 matches. His last professional appearance was in IPL 2024 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he continues to be an important figure in the capacity of mentor-cum-batting coach. He is currently reporting on The Hundred for Sky Sports, another example of his versatility in the cricketing world.
Reacting to his comeback into competitive cricket, Karthik reminisced about his good times playing in South Africa and lauded the Royals’ franchise setup. The Paarl Royals had announced their squad retentions for the season, which includes key players such as David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, and Andile Phehlukwayo. The team made the Qualifiers in the previous edition of SA20 but met a tough end with five consecutive losses, which included a defeat in the Eliminator to the Joburg Super Kings.
“I have so many fond memories of playing in and visiting South Africa,” Karthik said. “When this opportunity came about, I couldn’t say no because of how special it would be to come back to playing competitive cricket and win this incredible competition with the Royals.
“Even though I didn’t have the chance to represent the Royals in the IPL, to me it was always a franchise setup and environment that was very attractive as a player. I am delighted to be joining the Paarl Royals team which oozes a lot of experience, quality and potential. I am certainly looking forward to joining the group and contributing to what should be an exciting season.”
More than that, though, it is the absence of England captain Jos Buttler—who is away on white-ball series duties in India—that really opens up a potentially major opportunity for Karthik. With a mix of experience and young guns within the ranks, the Paarl Royals are all set for an aggressive campaign in the SA20.
Paarl Royals Squad So Far:
- David Miller
- Lungi Ngidi
- Bjorn Fortuin
- Andile Phehlukwayo
- Dinesh Karthik
- Mitchell van Buuren
- Codi Yusuf
- Keith Dudgeon
- Nqaba Peter
- Kwena Maphaka
- Lhuan-dre Pretorius
- Dayyaan Galiem (traded in)
Also, see:
Jhye Richardson joins Perth Scorchers for Top End T20 tournament
