Dinesh Karthik eager to create ‘something special’ with Paarl Royals

The first Indian player to compete in the SA20 competition, Dinesh Karthik, believes his Paarl Royals team have the right blend of youth and experience to challenge for the trophy.

The Royals will open their campaign on Saturday when they face defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Paarl (1pm start).

Having lost their opening match against MI Cape Town on Thursday, the Sunrisers will be desperate to bounce back against the hosts, but Karthik was confident the Royals could start the tournament on a positive note.

While the Paarl outfit reached the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, they were aiming to progress to the final of the tournament for the first time.

“This team has a good blend of experience and some seriously prodigious talent… so it’s about understanding personalities and what each player brings to the table, and trying get the best out of them,” said Karthik.

“I really wish that this experience and this youthful exuberance will meet somewhere in the middle and something special is created.

“The mood in the camp is good… and we will try to do our best, but it’s a squad that is very assorted with a lot of skill and I’m looking forward to being a part of this team.”

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More Indian players to join SA20?

While the SA20 teams are owned by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, veteran batter/wicketkeeper Karthik will be the first Indian player to turn out in the local competition.

He felt, however, that there would be more players from his country competing in South Africa in future, claiming that the SA20 was the most competitive T20 league in global cricket outside the IPL.

He also believed the tremendous interest from local fans, with games having been sold out regularly since the tournament’s inception in 2023, would attract more of India’s players.

“I think anyone who is done with playing IPL will always look at SA20 because it’s the strongest tournament and you get the best players,” said 39-year-old Karthik, who formed part of the India team that won the inaugural T20 World Cup on SA soil in 2007.

“Most importantly it’s a place that’s well supported, and when people want to come and watch it really adds to the adrenaline and helps get the best out of you, so I’m really looking forward to this.”