Dinesh Karthik will become the first Indian player to take part in the SA20. The wicket-keeper bat will play for Paarl Royals in the upcoming third season of the SA20. Karthik recently announced his retirement from all forms of the game but he is now set to return to action.

The former Tamil Nadu batter played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024, scoring 326 runs in 13 innings at an average of 36.22 and a strike rate of 187.35. Thus, the veteran played an instrumental role in taking the franchise to the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Karthik last played for India in the T20 World Cup 2022 after having a stellar season in the IPL but had failed to deliver the goods in the T20I showpiece.

“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.”

Kumar Sangakkara, Royals’ director of cricket was all praise for Dinesh Karthik after the signing.

“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 for Season 3,” Kumar Sangakkara, Royals’ director of cricket, said. 

“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, so it’s an exciting signing for us and we look forward to having him with the group at Paarl.”