Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has clarified that he did not use his friendship with Dinesh Karthik to convince the latter to join Paarl Royals.

Paarl Royals on Tuesday (August 6) confirmed that the former India batsman and wicketkeeper will ply his trade for them in the upcoming SA20 season.

Dinesh Karthik, who retired from all forms of the game after IPL 2024, will become the first Indian player to feature in South Africa’s premier T20 competition. He will play for IPL’s sister franchise Rajasthan Royal, Paarl Royals, in the tournament.

After Dinesh Karthik’s signing was confirmed, Kumar Sangakkara, who is the Director of Cricket for the Royals, said that he knows the former India cricketer very well but did not use their friendship to pressure him into joining the Royals.

Karthik had called time on his playing career but decided to reverse his decision to play in SA20. Sangakkara praised Karthik’s passion for the game and said the franchise had no hesitation in signing him.

“It would be very unfair on DK if I had put him under pressure in friendship because it is a professional sport and you have to go where you are valued not only in terms of your skill, prowess and personality but also in financial terms,” ​​Kumar Sangakkara said.

“I know DK very well. He has a great passion for the game, as we saw in the last season (IPL), he was phenomenal. With his retirement and his desire to play in foreign leagues, it was a very easy decision to try and make sure he came with us,” he added.

Dinesh Karthik will fit in very well: Kumar Sangakkara

Kumar Sangakkara also backed Dinesh Karthik to integrate well into the Royals. The Sri Lankan legend said that the franchise is excited to secure Karthik’s services and also said that he would enjoy the tournament. Sangakkara said that the franchise did not face too many difficulties in convincing Karthik to join them.

“I think he will fit in very well with the Paarl Royals and the Royals philosophy. We are very excited to have him on board, he will enjoy playing with us at that venue in Paarl but also the tournament itself. I am very pleased that he took the time to consider our offer and was very open and honest with me and the franchise, so it was great that we were able to sign him,” Kumar Sangakkara said.

Karthik has extensive experience in T20 cricket and will look to make a big impact in SA20. The right-handed batsman has played for six teams in the IPL across 17 seasons. He has played for Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Lions, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

In total, Karthik has played 401 T20s so far and has scored 7407 runs with the help of 34 half-centuries. Incidentally, Karthik made his T20I debut in South Africa in 2006 and was also a member of the Indian team that won the inaugural T20 World Cup in the same country in 2007. Karthik will look to create more memories in the African country.