Cricket

Dinesh Karthik: From Mistaken Identity to Unexpected ComebackFormer Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik has recently become the subject of both humorous social media interactions and unexpected career developments.Mistaken Identity and Humorous ExchangeA fan, mistaking Karthik for Bollywood actor Vikrant Massey, congratulated the cricketer for his performance in Massey's latest film, "Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba." Karthik, known for his wit, responded with humor, thanking the fan for their appreciation. This lighthearted exchange showcased Karthik's ability to engage with fans in a playful manner.Unexpected Cricketing ComebackBeyond the social media interaction, Karthik made headlines with an unexpected announcement regarding his cricketing career. Months after announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket following the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), Karthik revealed his decision to return to competitive play.This surprise comeback will see him participate in the upcoming season of the SA20 cricket league in South Africa, making him the first Indian cricketer to join the league. Karthik will be representing the Paarl Royals, marking a new chapter in his cricketing journey.Continued ProminenceThis unexpected move, coupled with his recent social media exchange, has kept Karthik in the spotlight. Whether engaging with fans online or making strategic career moves, Karthik continues to be a prominent figure in the cricketing world.

The South African20 (SA20) league is gearing up for its third season, set to take place from January 9 to February 8, 2023. The six participating teams have finalized their pre-signings and retentions, adding a star-studded roster to the tournament.League commissioner Graeme Smith expressed his satisfaction with the caliber of players joining the SA20, stating that it reflects the league's commitment to creating a world-class experience. Among the notable signings are Joe Root, Dinesh Karthik, Ben Stokes, Kane Williamson, Trent Boult, Rashid Khan, Devon Conway, Azmatullah Omarzai, Jonny Bairstow, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.Smith emphasized the importance of having both international stars and local heroes on the teams, highlighting the presence of Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, and Heinrich Klaasen. He also praised the retention of domestic players, including rookies who have been promoted to fully-contracted status for Season 3.As of now, the teams have between 14 and 17 players on their rosters, with the remaining spots to be filled at the auction in Cape Town on October 1. Each team can have a maximum of 19 players, including one wildcard and one rookie player. Of the remaining 17, a minimum of ten must be South African, while a maximum of seven can be from overseas.The SA20 2023 squads are as follows:* Durban's Super Giants: Brandon King, Quinton De Kock, Naveen ul Haq, Kane Williamson, Chris Woakes, Prenelan Subrayen, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Noor Ahmed, Heinrich Klaasen, Jon-Jon Smuts, Wiaan Mulder, Junior Dala, Bryce Parsons, Matthew Breetzke, Jason Smith, Marcus Stoinis* Joburg Super Kings: Faf Du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Maheesh Theekshana, Devon Conway, Gerald Coetzee, David Wiese, Leus Du Plooy, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger, Donavon Ferreira, Imran Tahir, Sibonelo Makhanya, Tabraiz Shamsi* MI Cape Town: Rashid Khan, Ben Stokes, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Azmatullah Omarzai, Dewald Brevis, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Nuwan Thushara, Connor Esterhuizen, Delano Potgieter, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Thomas Kaber, Chris Benjamin* Pretoria Capitals: Anrich Nortje, Jimmy Neesham, Will Jacks, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Will Smeed, Migael Pretorius, Rilee Rossouw, Eathan Bosch, Wayne Parnell, Senuran Muthusamy, Kyle Verreynne, Daryn Dupavillon, Steve Stolk, Tiaan van Vuuren* Paarl Royals: David Miller, Mujeeb Ur-Rahman, Sam Hain, Joe Root, Dinesh Karthik, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Van Buuren, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Andile Phehlukwayo, Codi Yusuf, John Turner, Dayyaan Galiem, Jacob Bethell* Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Aiden Markram, Zak Crawley, Roelof van der Merwe, Liam Dawson, Ottneil Baartman, Marco Jansen, Beyers Swanepoel, Caleb Seleka, Tristan Stubbs, Jordan Hermann, Patrick Kruger, Craig Overton, Tom Abell, Simon Harmer, Andile Simelane, David BedinghamThe schedule of matches for the SA20 2023 season will be announced at a later date.

Ben Stokes, the England Test captain, has signed with MI Cape Town for the upcoming season of the SA20, joining Azmatullah Omarzai as the franchise's marquee overseas signings. The duo will bolster a squad that includes Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Nuwan Thushara, and Chris Benjamin, who have been retained from the previous season.MI Cape Town's domestic contingent is equally impressive, featuring Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton, and George Linde. They are joined by Delano Potgieter, Thomas Kaber, and Connor Esterhuizen, who have been added to the roster.For Boult, this marks his fourth stint with a Mumbai Indians-owned team, having previously played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, MI New York in MLC, and MI Emirates in the ILT20.The SA20 franchises have been actively targeting top English Test players for the 2025 season, with Joe Root joining Paarl Royals, Ollie Pope signing with Pretoria Capitals, and Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes joining Joburg Super Kings and Durban's Super Giants, respectively. Zak Crawley has been acquired by Sunrisers Eastern Cape, the two-time SA20 champions.England's Test tours to Pakistan and New Zealand in the winter of 2024-25 will conclude before Christmas, making English players available for the full duration of the ILT20 and SA20. The 2025 edition of the SA20 will run from January 9 to February 8.Stokes' England contract expires in September, and he has not played a white-ball game for England since the 2023 ODI World Cup. He is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, but is targeting a return for England's Test tour of Pakistan in October.If Stokes participates in the SA20, it will be a rare appearance for him in a franchise league. His previous IPL stints were disrupted by injuries, and he opted out of IPL 2024 to manage his workload.

Dinesh Karthik, the veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter, is poised to make history as the first Indian player to participate in the inaugural season of the South African T20 league (SA20). ESPNcricinfo has confirmed that Karthik will join the Paarl Royals franchise as an overseas player when the tournament commences on January 9, 2023.This will mark Karthik's first competitive appearance since announcing his retirement from international cricket in June 2023, on the occasion of his 39th birthday. The former Indian star, who represented his country in 180 international matches, last played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2022. He has since been appointed as a mentor-cum-batting coach for the franchise.Karthik is widely regarded as one of the most astute cricket analysts in the T20 format, owing to his extensive experience in the shortest format. He has featured in 401 T20 matches, including stints with six different IPL teams, most notably as captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders.Despite his age, Karthik remains one of the fittest players in the game, having missed only two matches in 17 seasons of the IPL. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) permits only retired Indian players to participate in overseas T20 leagues.Karthik's signing by the Paarl Royals follows the franchise's announcement of its retained players for the upcoming season. Captain David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, and Andile Phehlukwayo will continue with the team. The Royals reached the Qualifiers in the inaugural SA20 edition but suffered five consecutive defeats, including a nine-wicket loss to the Joburg Super Kings in the Eliminator.

Pretoria Capitals, the South African franchise in the SA20 league, have bolstered their squad for the 2025 season by signing Afghanistan's explosive wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The 22-year-old will reunite with Jonathan Trott, who was recently appointed as Capitals' head coach after guiding Afghanistan to their maiden World Cup semi-final earlier this year.Gurbaz, a T20 globetrotter, brings a wealth of experience to the Capitals. He has played for various franchises around the world, including the Dubai Capitals in the ILT20, where he scored 146 runs in eight innings. He also has IPL experience, having won the title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023.Gurbaz's T20I form is equally impressive. He was the leading run-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup, amassing 281 runs in eight innings at an average of 35.12 and a strike rate of 124.33. His aggressive batting style and ability to clear the boundary with ease make him a valuable asset to any team.Gurbaz will join a star-studded Capitals squad that includes Wayne Parnell, Will Jacks, Rilee Rossouw, Jimmy Neesham, Anrich Nortje, and Ollie Pope. With such a formidable lineup, the Capitals will be among the favorites to lift the SA20 trophy in 2025.

Paarl Royals, one of the six franchises in the South African T20 league (SA20), have retained ten South African players for the upcoming 2025 season. Captain David Miller, fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, and all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo are among the notable names on the list.The Royals have also retained Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who were impressive signings in the inaugural edition of the SA20 in 2024. However, the franchise has released four players to make room for new additions: Dane Vilas, Evan Jones, Wihan Lubbe, and Ferisco Adams.To bolster their squad, the Royals have traded seam-bowling allrounder Dayyaan Galiem from Joburg Super Kings in exchange for Tabraiz Shamsi. The final squad, including overseas signings and released players, will be confirmed after the auction."We are delighted to go into the upcoming auction with a very formidable core of capped and uncapped South African players," said Kumar Sangakkara, Royals' Director of Cricket. "After the disappointment of last season where we faltered towards the latter stages of the tournament, it was important to re-look at the squad and make certain changes."Meanwhile, MI Cape Town, another SA20 franchise, has retained Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Rassie van der Dussen, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Delano Potgieter, Thomas Kaber, and Connor Esterhuizen. They have released Beuran Hendricks, Duan Jansen, Grant Roelofsen, and Neelan van Heerden.The new SA20 season is set to begin on January 9, 2025.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape, the reigning SA20 champions, have bolstered their squad for the upcoming season with the signings of England batter Zak Crawley, fast bowler Craig Overton, and Netherlands allrounder Roelof van der Merwe.Crawley, a mainstay in England's Test team, will make his SA20 debut. Despite limited experience in the shortest format, he boasts an impressive T20 record with 1771 runs at a strike rate of 134.77. He aims to enhance his white-ball skills and add power to his game.Van der Merwe, who played a pivotal role in Sunrisers' title triumph last season, returns to the franchise. The left-arm spinner was the joint leading wicket-taker with 20 scalps and had an exceptional economy of 5.62. His match-winning performance in the final earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.Overton, a 30-year-old fast-bowling allrounder, will make his overseas T20 league debut with Sunrisers. He has 106 T20 wickets to his name, averaging 26.21 with an economy rate of 8.56.These signings add depth and experience to Sunrisers' squad. Crawley's batting prowess, van der Merwe's spin wizardry, and Overton's all-round abilities will be valuable assets in their quest to defend their title.

Jonathan Trott, the former England batsman, has been appointed as the new head coach of the Pretoria Capitals in the SA20, replacing Graham Ford. Trott, who is currently the head coach of Afghanistan, will take over the reins of the Capitals ahead of the 2025 season.Trott's appointment comes after a successful stint with Afghanistan, where he has overseen a significant improvement in the team's results. Under his guidance, Afghanistan has defeated top teams like Australia, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Bangladesh in global events. They also reached the semi-finals of the 2024 T20I World Cup, losing to South Africa.The Capitals, on the other hand, have had a disappointing second season in the SA20, winning only three matches and finishing fifth. They were losing finalists in the competition's first edition in 2023 after topping the table.Trott's appointment is part of a broader shake-up at the Capitals, which also saw the departure of Ricky Ponting as head coach. Ponting had been with the Delhi franchise for seven years.Trott's decision to join the Capitals raises questions about his future with Afghanistan. His contract with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is due to expire in December, and it is unclear whether he will renew it.If Trott does not renew his contract with the ACB, he could be in contention for the England limited-overs job. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is expected to make a decision on the future of incumbent head coach Matthew Mott in the coming days.Trott, who earned 127 caps for England, has previously coached on the pathway, both for the Under-19 and Lions teams. He is highly regarded as a coach and his appointment by the Capitals is a major coup for the franchise.

Kane Williamson and Chris Woakes, two renowned international cricketers, have signed with Durban's Super Giants as direct signings for the upcoming SA20 2025 season. This marks the first SA20 appearance for both players.Williamson, the former New Zealand captain, recently declined a central contract and relinquished his captaincy to prioritize playing in the SA20. He emphasized his commitment to New Zealand outside of his South African stint. "SA20 looks really exciting," Williamson said. "My priority still is, absolutely, playing for New Zealand."Woakes, a key white-ball player for England, has been instrumental in their ODI and T20I World Cup successes. Despite not being selected for the 2024 T20 World Cup, he remains a valuable asset to any team.The SA20 tournament will run from January 9 to February 8, with July 21 as the deadline for retentions and August 31 for direct signings. Last season, Durban's Super Giants finished as runners-up, losing to Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final.Other notable England players joining the SA20 include Joe Root, who signed with Paarl Royals, and Ben Stokes, who received a substantial contract offer from MI Cape Town.The addition of Williamson and Woakes to the Super Giants roster is a significant boost to their title aspirations. Their experience and skill will be invaluable in the competitive SA20 environment.