NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik will return to professional cricket after seven months. He will play for Paarl Royals in the SA20 league, with the third season starting on January 9. Karthik is the first Indian cricketer in the South African tournament.
Paarl Royals, affiliated with Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals, signed Karthik last August. He retired from all cricket in June 2024 but later decided to play in the SA20.
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Paarl Royals, captained by David Miller, will kick-start their season three campaign on January 11 against two-time defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Paarl Royals recently shared a video on their official handle of social media platform X, where the 39-year-old was seen sweating it out in a net session.
“Bringing DK’s first training session to your feeds,” Paarl Royals wrote in the caption of the post.
Karthik’s last professional cricket match was in the 2024 IPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He had a good IPL season as a finisher, scoring 326 runs in 15 matches.
“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,” Karthik had said after signing for the SA20 side.
