Dinesh Karthik excited for a one-of-a-kind experience at SA20

During SA20 India Day, Karthik, the India Ambassador of SA20, shared that he has closely watched both editions of the tournament as many players he has played with in IPL teams have participated. Additionally, he mentioned that South Africa holds a special place in his heart due to the cherished memories he has made there.

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transform: rotate(32deg); animation: shinerMooving 3s infinite; z-index: 1; filter: blur(1px); } @keyframes shinerMooving { 0% { left: -40px; } 100% { left: 150%; } } Top 15 buys at IPL 2025 Auction Rishabh Pant ₹ 27 Cr DC LSG Total Match 111 Total Runs 3284 Highest Score 128 runs Shreyas Iyer ₹ 26.75 Cr KKR PBKS Total Match 115 Total Runs 3127 Highest Score 96 runs Venkatesh Iyer ₹ 23.75 Cr KKR KKR Total Match 50 Total Runs 1326 Highest Score 104 runs Wickets 3 Best Bowling 2/29 Arshdeep Singh ₹ 18 Cr PBKS PBKS Total Match 65 Total Runs 29 Highest Score 10 runs Wickets 76 Best Bowling 5/32 Yuzvendra Chahal ₹ 18 Cr RR PBKS Total Match 260 Total Runs 37 Highest Score 8 runs Wickets 205 Best Bowling 5/40 Jos Buttler ₹ 15.75 Cr RR GT Total Match 107 Total Runs 3582 Highest Score 124 runs KL Rahul ₹ 14 Cr LSG DC Total Match 132 Total Runs 4683 Highest Score 132 runs Trent Boult ₹ 12.50 Cr RR MI Total Match 104 Total Runs 83 Highest Score 17 runs Wickets 121 Best Bowling 4/18 Jofra Archer ₹ 12.50 Cr MI RR Total Match 35 Total Runs 195 Highest Score 27 runs Wickets 46 Best Bowling 3/15 Josh Hazlewood ₹ 12.50 Cr RCB RCB Total Match 12 Total Runs - Highest Score - Wickets 12 Best Bowling 3/24 Mohammed Siraj ₹ 12.25 Cr RCB GT Total Match 93 Total Runs 109 Highest Score 14 runs Wickets 93 Best Bowling 4/21 Mitchell Starc ₹ 11.75 Cr KKR DC Total Match 41 Total Runs 105 Highest Score 29 runs Wickets 51 Best Bowling 4/15 Phil Salt ₹ 11.50 Cr DC RCB Total Match 21 Total Runs 653 Highest Score 89 runs Ishan Kishan ₹ 11.25 Cr MI SRH Total Match 105 Total Runs 2644 Highest Score 99 runs Wickets - Best Bowling - Jitesh Sharma ₹ 11 Cr PBKS RCB Total Match 40 Total Runs 730 Highest Score 49 runs Check Full Coverage

His fondness for South Africa stems from his past experiences, including a successful stint as a Test player and memorable World Cup moments.

Karthik praised the strong domestic cricket culture in South Africa, which he believes has significantly contributed to the success of the SA20 league.

"When SA20 came up and you watch other tournaments, the one thing that's very evident 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," he explained, as quoted by a press release from SA20.

He also commended the six franchises participating in the league for their impressive player selections.

"The teams that assemble there, the six franchises that represent the domestic structure there, have been very good in terms of the assortment of players they've got. 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," Karthik remarked.

The involvement of IPL franchises has added an intriguing dynamic to the SA20 league.

"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. And it stood strong and it stood true to the testament to the fact that they've invested and today, they see the growth of this tournament," Karthik said.

Expressing his enthusiasm about joining the Paarl Royals, Karthik concluded, "So I'm very happy to be part of it. And from afar, observing it, I only have good things to say. It's just that I was happy I got picked up by the Royals. Any other offer from anybody else, I would have been tempted as well."

As Karthik prepares to take part in the SA20 league, his experience and perspective promise to bring an exciting new dimension to the tournament, enhancing the competitive spirit and international appeal of the event.

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