Dinesh Karthik, who turned 39 on June 1st, declared his retirement from Indian cricket, is ready to play after being signed by the Paarl Royals for the SA20 2025. Along with AB de Villiers, the wicketkeeper-batter was recently named as one of the league’s ambassadors. The former skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is now poised to make SA20 history as the first Indian player to play the sport.
Dinesh Karthik, who has played 180 international matches for India, last appeared for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League in 2024.
The team has since recruited him as a mentor and batting coach. The cricketer from Tamil Nadu has participated in 257 Indian Premier League (IPL) games and 401 Twenty20 tournaments. Dinesh Karthik is now calling the games of The Hundred 2024 for Sky Sports after dabbling in commentary. The Chennai native missed just two games in his 17 seasons as an IPL player because of his exceptional level of fitness.
Only retired Indian cricketers are permitted to play in international franchise T20 leagues by the BCCI. Ambati Rayudu played for the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the Dubai Capitals fielded Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan in the ILT20 last year. A few years ago, Suresh Raina was a member of the Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10.
In front of the upcoming season, Paarl Royals confirmed last week who will be retained; captain David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, and Andile Phehlukwayo were included. In the most recent SA20 tournament, the Royals qualified for the Eliminator but lost five straight games, including a nine-wicket beating at the hands of the Johannesburg Super Kings. They are the sibling team of the Rajasthan Royals, the first-ever IPL champions.
The Paarl Royals team is composed of the following players: Dinesh Karthik, Mitchell van Buuren, Codi Yusuf, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dayyaan Galiem, and Lungi Ngidi.
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