Dinesh Karthik joins Paarl Royals for SA20 2025; Kumar Kumar Sangakkara calls 'Indian legend' an exciting signing

Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik will spread his magic in South Africa’s T20 franchise league SA20 in the upcoming edition of the tournament. Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) sister franchise Paarl Royals made a big announcement.

On Tuesday, August 6, the Paarl Royals announced the signing of Karthik as their wicketkeeper-batter and finisher for the next edition of the SA20 2025 with a heartwarming video on the social media platform X. They posted a heartwarming video featuring Karthik and the Rajasthan Royals CEO Jake Lush McCrum.

Batter. Keeper. Finisher. 🇮🇳

Welcome to the #RoyalsFamily, @DineshKarthik 🔥 pic.twitter.com/f7bdcVFCRP

— Paarl Royals (@paarlroyals) August 6, 2024

Dinesh Karthik set for SA20 debut with Paarl Royals

After being signed up with the Paarl Royals as an overseas player ahead of the SA20 2025, starting on January 9, Karthik is all set to become the first Indian player to feature in South Africa’s T20 franchise league.

He is now eligible to participate in overseas T20 leagues, having retired from all forms of the game.

The SA20 will be the first tournament Karthik will play since announcing his retirement.

Karthik, who played 180 international matches for India, is now a well-established broadcaster and the former keeper is currently covering the ongoing The Hundred 2024 in England for Sky Sports.

From India to South Africa, this legend is signed and his flight is booked! ✈️💗 pic.twitter.com/EUvfgNrUP2

— Paarl Royals (@paarlroyals) August 6, 2024

Additionally, he was announced as the brand ambassador for the SA20 on August 5. The 39-year-old was last seen in action in the IPL 2024 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who have now signed the former wicketkeeper-batter up as a mentor-cum-batting coach for the next season of the tournament, where he represented a total of six teams in his career.

Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik expressed his excitement about joining the Paarl Royals, reflecting on his fond experiences in South Africa and his excitement to return to competitive cricket. He also said that the opportunity to play for the Royals is too special for him.

Although he didn't have the chance to play for the Royals in the IPL, where he has played 257 matches and scored 4842 runs, Karthik always admired the franchise's setup.

Karthik is thrilled to be part of the Paarl Royals, which boasts significant experience, quality, and potential, and he looks forward to contributing to an exciting SA20 season with the team.

Dinesh Karthik is delighted to be part of the Royals Family; Kumar Sangakkara welcomes him to the SA20 team

Dinesh Karthik was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “I have so many fond memories of playing in and visiting South Africa. 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.”

He added, “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, stated: “DK 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. 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.”

Here’s Paarl Royals Squad:

David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Dinesh Karthik, Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Mitchell van Buuren, Codi Yusuf, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Dayyaan Galiem (traded in), Kwena Maphaka, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius.