Dinesh Karthik recently became the first Indian to participate in SA20, South Africa's premier T20 league, replacing Jos Buttler.

According to the BCCI rules, any Indian male cricketer who has not announced official retirement from all forms of the game — domestic and international — isn’t eligible to take part in any overseas T20 league that competes with the Indian Premier League.

Karthik fit that bill after announcing his retirement from Indian cricket following the IPL 2024 season. Despite his appearance in the SA20 2025 for Paarl Royals, the wicketkeeper-batter has supported BCCI’s call to bar Indian cricketers from featuring in foreign T20 leagues.

“I am a big believer that the IPL should be the crown jewel for the BCCI. It is at the moment. The IPL is the crown jewel of world cricket. For that to maintain their status quo as No. 1, I believe Indian cricketers shouldn't be allowed to play in overseas leagues unless they are retired. The players can take their call, because if they feel they are done with IPL, they can move on to other leagues. I completely stand along with the BCCI on that front,” Karthik said in a conversation organized by SA20.

Karthik believes Indian cricket’s structure is strong enough to give players enough opportunities and financial stability. He also opined that tournaments like SA20 can be managed with retired Indian cricketers for the time being.

“I agree you can always argue, asking 'should youngsters be given an opportunity (to play in overseas leagues)? But I think there is enough and more in India in terms of competition and ways of being secure financially. The IPL is a great platform. There is good domestic cricket and all the state franchise leagues as well that's happening right now as we speak,” Karthik stated.

“I think there is a lot of cricket to be played in India. Indian cricketers should be allowed to play once they retire. I believe that is the right way to go. I believe SA20 or any other league, for that matter, will be more than happy to work with a couple of retired from playing for India,” he further remarked.

Dinesh Karthik played 11 matches in the season for Paarl Royals and scored 130 runs at an average of 21.67 and strike rate of 121.50.