Paarl [South Africa], January 11 (ANI): Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik feels that South African T20 league is the best league tournament in the world after the Indian Premier League.

The 39-year-old is playing for Paarl Royals in the third season of SA20.

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"I genuinely believe this is the best competition after the IPL. So, I wanted to play some real competitive cricket and I don't think there is a better tournament than this. I always wanted to be part of the Royals setup. A lot of my friends played in the Royals setup so when the offer came along, I was more than happy to accept it," a wired-up Karthik told the commentators during the clash between Paarl Royals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the ongoing SA20 2025 season

"A lot of good talent out here. The first couple of days, when I came out here, I was pretty amazed to see how much talent is out here. A couple of guys not playing as well. It's a good squad, a good tournament, really looking forward to gelling with the boys here," he added.

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Karthik, who is widely renowned for his role as a finisher in white ball cricket, had a stellar international career for India, being part of the team's ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2013 wins. He represented India in 180 international matches across formats and registered 172 dismissals to his name through his sharp and reliable glove work behind the stumps. He scored 3,463 runs with a century and 17 fifties across all three formats for India.

In the T20 format alone for various teams, including in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Karthik has scored 7,407 runs in 401 matches at a strike rate of 136.96, with 34 fifties, which shows the consistency with which he has played the game for over two decades.

DK, as he is fondly known, last played competitive cricket during this year's IPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) where he played a crucial role in the team's playoffs qualification, scoring 326 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 187.36, with two half-centuries.

Incidentally, Karthik's first taste of success in any ICC tournament with the Indian team came in South Africa where he lifted the ICC Men's T20 World Cup trophy in 2007. His participation in Season 3 of SA20 for the Royals will bring him back to the rainbow nation and add even more excitement for fans in South Africa, India and across the globe. (ANI)

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