Dinesh Karthik signs with Paarl Royals for SA20 season 3, becomes first Indian to feature in the league

New Delhi [India], August 6 (ANI): Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik will be playing for Paarl Royals in the third season of SA20, making him the first-ever Indian player to play in the competition.
Paarl Royals issued a statement on Tuesday announcing the signing.
"Royals Sports Group-owned franchise Paarl Royals on Tuesday announced the marquee signing of legendary Indian wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik as one of their newest overseas recruits for Season 3. The 39-year-old, who had announced retirement from all forms of cricket earlier in June, has decided to represent the Royals and becomes the first-ever Indian to participate in the SA20," said a statement from Paarl.
Karthik, who is widely renowned for his role as a finisher in white ball cricket, had a stellar international career for India, being part of the team's ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2013 wins. He represented India in 180 international matches across formats and registered 172 dismissals to his name through his sharp and reliable glove work behind the stumps. He scored 3,463 runs with a century and 17 fifties across all three formats for India.
In the T20 format alone for various teams, including in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Karthik has scored 7,407 runs in 401 matches at a strike rate of 136.96, with 34 fifties, which shows the consistency with which he has played the game for over two decades.
DK, as he is fondly known, last played competitive cricket during this year's IPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) where he played a crucial role in the team's playoffs qualification, scoring 326 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 187.36, with two half-centuries.
Incidentally, Karthik's first taste of success in any ICC tournament with the Indian team came in South Africa where he lifted the ICC Men's T20 World Cup trophy in 2007. His participation in Season 3 of SA20 for the Royals will bring him back to the rainbow nation and add even more excitement for fans in South Africa, India and across the globe.
Welcoming Karthik to the franchise, Royals' Director of Cricket, Kumar Sangakkara said, "Dinesh 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 has represented across leagues for the way he approaches the game and the impact he can make, so it is an exciting signing for us and we look forward to having him with the group at Paarl."
Meanwhile, Karthik also shared his thoughts on the prospect of returning to cricket and playing in the SA20. He said, "I have so many fond memories of playing in and visiting South Africa, and when this opportunity came about, I could not 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 did not 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."
The signing of Karthik means the Paarl Royals will have a formidable side going into the Auction, with captain David Miller, Joe Root, Lungi Ngidi, Bjorn Fortuin, Andile Phehlukwayo, Mitchell van Buuren, Codi Yusuf, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuandre Pretorius and Dayyaan Galiem among the players who have signed for Season 3. (ANI)