‘Indian cricketers shouldn’t be allowed to play overseas T20 leagues unless retired’: Dinesh Karthik after debut SA20 season

NEW DELHI: Dinesh Karthik came in as Jos Buttler’s replacement in the Paarl Royals squad ahead of the third season of the SA20 – South Africa’s premier T20 competition. On January 11, he made his debut against two-time defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape in a milestone moment. ‘DK’, as he is commonly and popularly known, became the first Indian to feature in the SA20.
Unlike the female players, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has a strict rule on Indian players plying their trade in foreign T20 leagues. In order to retain exclusivity for the Indian Premier League (IPL), male players cannot play in T20 leagues abroad. The exception, however, is made when the player announces retirement from international cricket and the IPL.

Karthik fit that bill after playing his last for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024. After 257 IPL matches in which he scored 4842 runs, DK decided to say goodbye for good. He decided to make a U-turn because of the competition and the lure of playing for the Royals.

Now with the season wrapped up, where Paarl Royals bowed out after Qualifier 2, Karthik admits BCCI’s stiff policy is for the betterment of Indian cricket and its players with enough happening at state levels as well to aid youngsters.

“I’m a big believer that the IPL should be the crown jewel for BCCI. And it is, at the moment, the crown jewel in world cricket. And for that to maintain its status quo as No. 1, I believe that Indian cricketers shouldn’t be allowed unless they’re retired,” he said in a conversation organised by SA20.
“Because they can take the call if they feel they’re done with the IPL and then move on to play other leagues. I completely stand with the BCCI on that front. I agree you can always argue saying ‘Can youngsters be given an opportunity?’ But I think there is enough in India in terms of competition and ways of being financially secure. And if you’re good enough, IPL is a great platform. They have domestic cricket and all the state franchise leagues as well.

“So I think there’s a lot of cricket that’s played in India. And I think cricketers from India should be allowed to play once they retire. And I believe that is the right way to go. And I think SA20, or any other league for that matter, will be more than happy to work with and to have a couple of the players who have retired from BCCI and from playing for India,” he added.
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 in a season that saw scarcity of runs under tough pitches. Enough that Royals set a record of bowling their entire 20 overs against Pretoria Capitals with spinners – an aspect that brought out a chuckle from DK who compared the conditions at Boland Park to Tamil Nadu.
He might not have set the scoring charts ablaze but did have a jolly time in South Africa with family in tow – especially at the 10,000 capacity Boland Park.
“IPL (and SA20) had one thing in common – the fact that there were full houses for all games that I played. So Paarl is well supported, but you have to understand the numbers are very different. South Africa had packed houses, almost all the games that we played, which was very encouraging,” he said.

“Standard of cricket is very good. Obviously, with IPL, the challenges are very different. The quality in terms of how it is played over two months is very, very different to SA20.”
Paarl Royals (and eventual champions MI Cape Town) went unbeaten in the league stage with five wins in five played. While MICT went all the way, Royals stumbled against the Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Yet, it was a memorable debut season for Karthik who shared the dressing room with England’s Joe Root.
“Playing with Joe Root was one of the highlights, I believe, for me personally, playing this tournament. I’ve never interacted much with him. Always seen him – said a hello, but to rub shoulders with him, be with him in the same dressing room, what a terrific personality. He’s a legend of the game. Easily will go down as one of the greatest batters to have ever played this sport.

“But the attitude that he brings, it’s just very warm, welcoming, helps the youngsters so much. And always wants to have fun and a laugh. And wants the team to have a great time. Like we had this pushups contest after a match. And it was all started by him. It’s just the energy that he brings, the genuinity that he brings towards the sport. It was wonderful playing with him. It was one of the best experiences, actually, playing with such a legend who has no hang-ups about himself. Very relaxed, very humble. It was a lot of fun,” stated Karthik who acknowledged he would be keen on being part of the SA20 again in the future.