Dinesh Karthik will create history. In January 2025, when he takes the field for the Paarl Royals in the third season of the SA 20, he will become the first Indian to play in the competition. While all six teams in the competition are sister franchises of Indian Premier League (IPL) outfits, no Indian player took part in the competition in the last two seasons.
Karthik retired from Indian cricket earlier this year after playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2024 IPL. While the 39-year-old will be part of the coaching staff of the Bengaluru-based franchise, he will continue his playing career by playing in South Africa's premier T20 competition.
Karthik opened up on his decision to play for the Royals in the SA 20; Karthik revealed that he wanted to continue playing, and the SA 20 emerged as the most exciting tournament. The ex-Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain recalled his memorable experiences of playing in South Africa, which included being part of India's T20 World Cup-winning squad.
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"See, when I actually finished playing with IPL, I wanted to play some cricket, I'm not going to lie. So I was thinking, what were the options? Now, how do I find out? I've never been part of any league. So I asked players who've been part of other leagues. And the one thing that came out very strongly, almost unanimously, was the fact that the SA20 was the best held tournament, the most exciting tournament. It's got the most interesting rivalries as well because of the domestic setup. And you put everything together and the answer was pretty straightforward for me. I was very keen on playing this tournament.
"And I just let it be. And then the offer came through from Royals and I couldn't say no. And to have been appointed ambassador was a cherry on top because Graeme was kind enough to get me into that role. So put everything together for me, it was a no-brainer. And I'm very happy to be part of this tournament. Anyone I speak to, only speak about the good experience they had and I'm really looking forward to this tournament," said Dinesh Karthik, India Ambassador SA20, at SA 20 India Day
"So I've watched both the editions very closely because a lot of the players that I've played with in IPL teams have played in that tournament. That's one. And South Africa has been a very fond place for me because of the memories I've had.Be it part of the World Cup, I had a very successful stint as a test player as well. So it's a place that I always look forward to going. And when SA20 came up and you watch other tournaments, the one thing that's very evident is teams which have a strong domestic cricket culture come through with these franchise tournaments very well," Karthik added.
The former India wicket-keeper was all praise for South Africa's domestic structure and hailed the SA 20 for having the best players in the world playing the league while having Indian franchises own teams added to his decision to play the league.
"And the fact that South Africa have had a very good domestic structure over a period of time, I think you could almost say they were frontrunners to be a very good tournament. And on top of that, the teams that assemble there, the six franchises that represent the domestic structure there, have been very good in terms of the assortment of players they've got. They've almost got the top players across batters, bowlers, in the ICC rankings as we speak. So it was a very well-fought tournament.
"Add to the fact that the Indian franchise is very interested in it. Made it a certain rivalry which almost already exists. So it's been a very interesting take for me. It was the first tournament where all the franchises were bought over by IPL teams purely because they knew how far that tournament would go. And it stood strong and it stood true to the testament to the fact that they've invested and today, they see the growth of this tournament. So I'm very happy to be part of it. And from afar, observing it, I only have good things to say. It's just that I was happy I got picked up by the Royals. Any other offer from anybody else, I would have been tempted as well," Karthik elaborated.