Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik, who announced his retirement from Indian cricket in June, is set to become the first Indian player to feature in the SA20 league, slated to get underway on January 9.

Karthik will join Paarl Royals as an overseas player, marking a significant milestone in his illustrious career.

Karthik made a notable mark while playing for India even though his peak clashed with that of the legendary MS Dhoni. He represented the country in 26 Tests, 94 ODIs and 60 T20Is, amassing 3463 runs across formats with one hundred and 17 half-centuries.

The 39-year-old played for RCB in the IPL 2024 season, where he amassed 326 runs in 15 matches at an average of 36.22 and a strike-rate of 187.35 with two half-centuries. Last month, the Bengaluru-based franchise appointed him as a batting coach cum mentor for the upcoming season.

The BCCI allows only retired players from Indian cricket to play in overseas leagues. Recently, the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan plied their trades in the International League T20 (ILT20). A couple of years ago, Suresh Raina featured in the Abu Dhabi T10 League as well.

Dinesh Karthik has played a staggering 401 T20 matches in his career, amassing 7,407 runs at a strike rate of 136.96.

Meanwhile, the Paarl Royals have retained the services of captain David Miller, Lungi Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo ahead of the next season. They did well to make the Qualifiers last season but could not advance any further as Joburg Super Kings (JSK) annihilated them in the Eliminator.

Paarl Royals squad: David Miller (c), 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)