The SA20, South Africa’s top T20 competition, is getting ready for its fourth season player auction, which will take place on September 9 in Johannesburg. More than 500 players, including several South African internationals and global stars, will be sold at the event. The six franchises will then finalize their 19-member rosters for the tournament, which starts on December 26.
The SA20 said in a recent statement that it has gotten more than 800 player registrations, which is the most in the league’s four-year existence. After a long assessment by the teams, this list has been cut down to 541 players, which shows how popular the league is becoming around the world. There are 300 South African cricketers and 241 players from other countries in the final auction pool.
Aiden Markram, South Africa’s T20I captain, is in command of the local team. He is among a solid set of Proteas colleagues, like as Quinton de Kock, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Reeza Hendricks, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ottniel Baartman, and Gerald Coetzee. Markram will be especially interested in the auction because he guided the Sunrisers Eastern Cape to two straight SA20 titles in 2023 and 2024 and then finished second in 2025. If another team makes an offer, his old team can utilize a “right-to-match” card to re-sign him.
Kyle Verreynne, David Bedingham, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Tony de Zorzi, and Dane Paterson, who are all part of the ICC World Test Championship-winning side, are also in the auction pool. This adds a lot of depth and ability to the local list.
The pool of international players is almost as outstanding, with a number of well-known stars available. Shakib Al Hasan, a left-arm spinner and all-rounder from Bangladesh, wants to be the first player from his country to play in the SA20. He will be joined by his fellow countryman, left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.
James Anderson, England’s all-time greatest wicket-taker, is the most famous player from his country. Other well-known T20 specialists from England include Alex Hales, Moeen Ali, Tom Abell, Adam Rossington, Jordan Cox, and Daniel Worrall. Australia’s D’Arcy Short and New Zealand’s Devon Conway, who was born in South Africa, are also on the list of foreign players.
For the next season, there will be a new Under-23 category. This regulation will let teams choose two South African players who are 23 years old or younger on the day the league starts. This will help develop more local talent. Dewald Brevis, Kwena Maphaka, and Andile Simelane are among of the rising stars that can now enter this new category.
There are 131 million rand (about USD 7.37 million) in the prize pool for the six franchisees to cover the last 84 places. Each team must have a certain number of players: 19 in total, including at least nine South Africans, no more than seven abroad players, two South Africans under 23, and one Wildcard player.
Fans in India will be able to watch the highly anticipated auction live on JioHotstar, as well as on the SA20’s official YouTube channel and social media sites.