Former wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has made a surprising comeback, signing with the Paarl Royals for the third season of the SA20 league. This move marks him as the first Indian cricketer to participate in the South African league, which begins on January 9. Karthik, who retired from all forms of cricket in June this year, has been serving as a mentor-cum-batting coach for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.
“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 represented India in 180 matches across all three formats.
Karthik’s last competitive T20 appearance was for RCB in the IPL 2024, where he scored 326 runs in 14 matches at an impressive strike rate of 187.36. His final match for Bharat was against Bangladesh during the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.
Expressing his excitement about joining the Paarl Royals, Karthik said, “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, the Royals’ Director of Cricket, emphasised Karthik’s value, saying, “Dinesh has served as one of the modern-day greats for Bharat 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.”
At the Royals, Karthik will be joining international stars like skipper David Miller, Joe Root, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, and Kwena Maphaka. This addition is expected to strengthen the team’s chances and add significant depth to their lineup.
