SA20 Auction: Teams Given Option to Retain Up to Six Players Ahead of Bidding War

The highly anticipated player auction for the fourth season of the SA20 is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg on September 9, according to an official league statement released on Tuesday, June 24. With a significant 72 slots available across the six competing teams, the salary purse has been substantially increased to USD 2.3 million for each franchise, promising fierce bidding and strategic acquisitions.

All the franchises will see an increase in the purse to USD 2.3 million © Sportzpics

Before the auction commences, franchises have the option to retain a maximum of six players, or pre-sign them. These retentions can include up to three overseas players, allowing teams to secure key international talent.

Each franchise can assemble an 18-member squad, with a maximum of seven overseas players. Crucially, at least 11 slots must be filled by local South African players, emphasizing the league's commitment to developing domestic talent. Furthermore, each of the six teams will have access to a 'wild card' signing. This allows them to bring in either a South African or foreign cricketer, and their league fee will not count towards the salary cap.

A notable addition to this year's auction is the introduction of the Right To Match (RTM) card. This feature grants franchises the ability to match the winning auction bid for a player who represented them in the previous season. Successfully exercising the RTM card ensures the player's return for the 2025-26 edition. The number of RTM cards available to each franchise will depend on the number of South African players they have already retained.

In a change from previous seasons, the auction will no longer incorporate a Rookie Draft. Instead, franchises are now responsible for ensuring that their final 19-player squads include a minimum of two Under-23 players.

Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20, commented on the upcoming auction: "The SA20 Season 4 Player Auction is setting up to be the most exciting yet, with about 60% of player slots available for the franchises to fill. Mechanisms such as RTM cards, Wildcard players and an increased salary cap are sure to create interesting situations for teams and will allow them to strategically select their squads. We have seen some life-changing transactions already in the past few years and the upcoming auction should see plenty more."

Richard Madley will continue his role as the auctioneer for the fourth season, which is set to begin on Boxing Day, December 26.