The daring Indian wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has joined the Sharjah Warriorz’s roster ahead of the ILT20’s inaugural player auction. He succeeds Sri Lankan Kusal Mendis in the JP Duminy-coached Sharjah Warriorz team and is among the game’s most seasoned and exciting cricket players.
Dinesh Karthik reputation as one of cricket’s most brilliant thinkers, particularly in the shorter formats, is well known. Karthik was a member of the Indian squad that won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and the first-ever 2007 T20 World Cup. He was also an IPL champion with the Mumbai Indians in 2013.
As the batting coach for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team, which won their first IPL championship in 2025, Dinesh Karthik was a member of the leadership group in more recent years. Coincidentally, Karthik had collaborated closely with the powerful Tim David, one of the foreign players for the Sharjah Warriorz in Season 4 of the ILT20, at RCB in the 2025 Indian Premier League.
Dinesh Karthik, a native of Tamil Nadu, is well-known for being a powerful finisher. He started playing international cricket in 2004. The former KKR captain’s six-hitting prowess, never-say-die mentality, and propensity for scoring runs all over the wicket will further bolster the Sharjah Warriorz’s batting unit. He is typically viewed as the aggressor in the closing stages of a T20 innings.
Karthik has played 412 Twenty20 matches, batted in 364 innings, scored 7,437 runs, recorded 35 half-centuries, and had a strike-rate of 136.66 during his career, which spanned two decades. He has participated in 60 T201 matches for the Indian national team, batted in 48 of them, and amassed 686 runs with a strike-rate of 142.61.
Along with his RCB teammate Tim David, Dinesh Karthik will play for the Sharjah Warriorz alongside Sikandar Raza, who won the ILT20 with the Dubai Capitals the previous season. Saurabh Netravalkar, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Johnson Charles, and Captain Tim Southee will be joined by the troika.
Dinesh Karthik spoke at the event and said:
“Joining the Sharjah Warriorz squad for the ILT20 event excites me greatly. I am glad to be here, and I am aware that they are a young squad with big plans. Another famous stadium that everyone loves to play at is Sharjah. And it is a dream come true to be a part of the Sharjah Warriorz franchise.
JP Duminy, head coach, stated: “I am thrilled to have Dinesh Karthik on our side for the next ILT20 tournament. He is one of the most seasoned players and has a very creative mind when it comes to T20 cricket. The entire globe has witnessed his batting prowess, and the younger players will undoubtedly gain a great deal from his explosive batting, vibrant attitude, and wealth of knowledge during the tournament. I’m excited to collaborate closely with him.
Sharjah Warriorz’s COO, Kshemal Waingankar, added: “We are thrilled to have Dinesh Karthik, one of India’s white-ball cricket legends, join us. The Sharjah Warriorz will undoubtedly become a more formidable and dangerous team on the pitch because to his exceptional work ethic, contagious personality, and, of course, his ability to score goals swiftly. We have decided to concentrate on this area this season, and we are glad to have Dinesh Karthik on board. We have faith that he and the squad will do everything in their power to make this a season to remember.
India
