As the first Indian cricket player to compete in the SA20 event on South African territory, Dinesh Karthik will represent the Paarl Royals in the next season in 2025.

Prior to the start of the new season, Karthik will become an overseas player for Paarl Royals. It will be his first competition during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 since he declared his retirement from Indian cricket earlier this year. After making his last appearance for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2024 Eliminator, the team recruited him as a mentor and batting coach.

"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 said.

"Even though I didn't 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," he added.

Because of his extensive knowledge of the shortest format, Karthik is regarded by his colleagues as one of the smartest pundits on the T20 circuit. Karthik has played for six clubs in the IPL and has appeared in 401 T20s. He is presently the Sky Sports Hundred reporter.

Last week, the Paarl Royals made their roster decisions for the upcoming season known. Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, and captain David Miller were among those who were retained.

"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's represented across leagues for the way he approaches the game and the impact he can make, so it's an exciting signing for us and we look forward to having him with the group at Paarl,” Kumar Sangakkara, Royals' director of cricket, said.

Paarl Royals squad: David Miller, 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).