The acquisition of experienced former Indian international Dinesh Karthik can only bolster the image of the Betway SA20, league commissioner Graeme Smith said.
Karthik, who joined the Paarl Royals for the tournament’s third edition, brings a wealth of experience as an international and franchise cricketer in a career spanning more than 20 years.
The 39-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has been capped more than 120 times for India across formats, scoring 3,463 runs and claiming 172 dismissals.
His T20 domestic and franchise career spans 401 matches where he has scored 7,401 runs with 301 scalps.
“Dinesh Karthik’s signing is a huge coup for the Paarl Royals and the Betway SA20, and it’s a clear indication of the league’s growing reputation and appeal globally,” Smith said about the former Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils player’s arrival in the league.
“We hope his participation will pave the way for more Indian players to join the league in the future.
“He is an exceptional T20 player with vast experience and talent, I’m thrilled he will be playing in our competition.”
Smith said one of the reasons for the Sunrisers’ title-winning exploits in the first two seasons was largely due to the environment created within the group by the management staff.
“I think Sunrisers Eastern Cape has just been a really well-oiled machine.
“They’ve got a great team culture, and excellent leadership in Adi Birrell and Aiden Markram, and they’ve made some smart acquisitions with the players they have brought in.
“They’ve managed to build a well-balanced squad with a mix of experienced players and young talent, and it has paid off for them,” he said.
Asked about SEC’s dominance of the league and whether that resulted in a bit of monotony creeping in, Smith said if anything, the success of the Orange Army had raised the bar.
“We have some of the best cricketers in the world and from a stats point of view, season 2 delivered better than season 1 in terms of sixes, hundreds and wickets.
“The fans have been treated to some epic matches and last-over finishes in the first two seasons — it’s been far from boring,” Smith said.
To be successful in this tournament, Smith believes teams must be able to adapt to a number of factors.
“Teams that can adjust to different conditions, opponents and pressure situations tend to do well.
“The teams have put together some really good squads, they will need the players to step up with match-winning performances to give their teams success.
“Getting a good start is important because the competition goes by very quickly,” he said.
Meanwhile, fans can catch Karthik and other high-profile Proteas and international names competing in the month-long tournament with all 34 matches live on Your World of Champions SuperSport, from January 9.
With exciting, high-octane cricket guaranteed, supporters are encouraged to tune in and watch their favourite teams and players on SuperSport Cricket, channel 212 or stay up to date with the latest developments from around the league on various social media platforms.
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