Dinesh Karthik’s Groundbreaking SA20 Move: First Indian to Join Paarl Royals

"I have so many fond memories of playing in and visiting South Africa, and 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," said Karthik

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Dinesh Karthik, a former wicketkeeper batter, signed with Paarl Royals on Tuesday to play in the third SA20 season. He will begin play in the South African league on January 9 and becomes the first Indian cricket player to compete in the league.

After retiring from all forms of cricket in June of this year, Karthik, 39, was hired by Royal Challengers Bengaluru of the Indian Premier League as a mentor and batting coach.

“I have so many fond memories of playing in and visiting South Africa, and 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,” said Karthik, who has played 180 matches for India across all three formats.

In his final T20 encounter, he scored 326 runs with a strike average of 187.36 while playing for RCB in the 2024 Indian Premier League.

Against Bangladesh in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, Karthik played his final game wearing the Indian uniform.

“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,” Karthik, who was roped in as the league ambassador a day earlier, said.

Kumar Sangakkara, the director of cricket for the Royals, planned to utilize Karthik’s wealth of T20 knowledge.

“Dinesh has served as one of the modern-day greats for India in white-ball cricket, and his wealth of experience will contribute to the making of our side.

“He has always proved to be a great asset for the teams he’s represented across leagues for the way he approaches the game and the impact he can make,” said Sangakkara.

Karthik will play with international players at the Royals, including Joe Root, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kwena Maphaka, and captain David Miller.

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