Dinesh Karthik set to become first Indian player to play in SA20

A day after his announcement as SA20's ambassador, Dinesh Karthik is set to become the first Indian to play in the tournament, according to a report on ESPNCricinfo. He will reportedly turn up for Paarl Royals in the tournament that starts January 9.

Karthik, who announced his retirement in June, has played 180 matches for India and, most recently, turned up for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The Bengaluru franchise has appointed him as a batting coach cum mentor for the upcoming season.

The BCCI allows only retired players to play in overseas leagues. Recently, we saw Ambati Rayudu play in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), while Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan played in the International League T20 (ILT20). A couple of years ago, Suresh Raina played in the Abu Dhabi T10 League as well, turning up for the Deccan Gladiators.

Karthik has played 401 T20s overall, amassing 7,407 runs at a strike rate of close to 137. 

Paarl Royals have decided to retain the services of captain David Miller,  with also Lungi Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo making the cut. They did well to make the Qualifiers last season but could not progress any further as they were handed a thrashing by Joburg Super Kings (JSK) in the Eliminator.

Paarl Royals squad: David Miller (c), Lungi Ngidi, Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dinesh Karthik, Mitchell van Buuren, Codi Yusuf, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dayyaan Galiem (Traded in from JSK)

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