SA20: At 39, Dinesh Karthik Embraces a New Chapter in South Africa, Paving the Way for Indian Cricketers

Mumbai, Dec 1 (NationPress) Dinesh Karthik has led a transient existence in T20 franchises, playing for six different teams throughout his 16-year career in the Indian Premier League, which concluded with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2024. Although he remains linked with the IPL as a Mentor at RCB, Karthik is poised for another chapter in South Africa, where he made his T20I debut on December 1, 2006.

It was also in South Africa that Karthik secured his first global accolade as part of the Indian squad that won the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007.

As the first Indian player to participate in the SA20, with its third season scheduled from January 9 to February 8, 2025, the former Indian international is thrilled about this new endeavor and is optimistic that his journey to the African continent will encourage many more from his homeland.

Karthik retired as a formidable late-order batsman in the IPL, standing 10th on the all-time batting leaderboard with 4,842 runs in 257 matches. His retirement at the age of 39 has opened up opportunities to engage in overseas franchise leagues, as he is no longer restricted by the stringent policy of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which prohibits Indian cricketers from participating in foreign T20 leagues until they retire from all domestic formats.

The wicketkeeper has signed with Paarl Royals, one of the six franchises, and has also been appointed as the India ambassador for the SA20, thereby forging another connection with the South African league, in which IPL franchises own all teams. While Paarl Royals are owned by Rajasthan Royals, the other teams MI Cape Town (Mumbai Indians), Durban Super Giants (Gujarat Giants), Joburg Super Kings (Chennai Super Kings), and two-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape (Sunrisers Hyderabad) are similarly owned by IPL franchises.

This association with the IPL leads Karthik to believe that more Indian players will explore opportunities in the SA20 in the future. He mentioned he would share his insights after completing his debut season.

Despite Karthik's retirement from both international cricket and the IPL as a player, and the lesser likelihood of current players forgoing IPL wealth for SA20 or any other league, it undeniably opens a new pathway for those who miss out on IPL contracts and seek to test their fortunes elsewhere.

When asked if he envisions a multitude of Indian players participating in SA20 ten years down the line, Karthik was non-committal but noted that cricketers are always striving to enhance their skills and financial standing.

"Ten years down the line, I can say that. Obviously, there is a policy in BCCI and everyone is adhering to that policy. But I hope I'm the first player to come out and play in this league because I can definitely share my experience post the league and how it was on a personal front. But so far from what I've heard, I don't think it can be very bad. I'm very confident it's a league where you can enhance your game.

"At the end of the day, all active players are looking for two things. A) How do I get better as a player? B) Financially, how is it viable? And on both fronts, I can confidently say that SA20 is definitely helping every player who is part of it," Karthik told IANS during the SA20 India Media Day organized by the league recently.

Karthik is truly enthusiastic about participating in SA20 and mentioned that he has consulted with international players who also played in the IPL regarding the South African league. The positive feedback he received influenced his decision to pursue this as his first full-time contract in an overseas T20 league.

"See, when I actually finished playing with IPL, I still 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. 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 in 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 speaks about the good experience they had and I'm really looking forward to this tournament," stated Karthik.

Karthik, who concluded his career with 1,025 runs in 26 Tests at an average of 25.00 with one century and seven half-centuries, revealed that he closely followed both editions of SA20 and found it to be highly competitive due to the robust domestic cricket culture in the country.

"So I've watched both editions very closely because a lot of the players that I've played with in IPL teams have played in that tournament. And South Africa has been a very fond place for me because of the memories I've had," he shared.

"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 watched other tournaments, the one very evident thing is teams which have a strong domestic cricket culture come through with these franchise tournaments very well.

"And the fact that South Africa has 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 their assortment of players," the former Tamil Nadu player added.

The wicketkeeper-batter noted that South Africa's thriving domestic structure has attracted top players from various countries.

"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," he concluded.