It won’t be inappropriate to say South Africa’s SA20 is like a mini-IPL. After all, IPL team owners run the six franchises, have the same name, and SA20 follows the same format as the Indian T20 league.
Then the player acquisition process is also the same. The South African league holds a player auction before every season, adding a dose of entertainment.
Similar to the IPL, the SA20 auction has seen fierce bidding wars between teams to secure the best players. And teams have gone to lengths to secure a player by shelling out handsome money.
So here are the most expensive players bought in the SA20 auction.
5. Gerald Coetzee
Gerald Coetzee is a rising pace sensation in South Africa. It was his outing in the first SA20 season for Joburg Super Kings (JSK) that put him in the limelight.
Thanks to that, Coetzee made his international debut for South Africa across formats soon after. But he missed the 2024 season and played one match in 2025 due to injury. And ahead of the fourth season, JSK released the pacer.
While JSK tried to get him back in the 2025-26 auction, Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) signed him at Rand 7.20 million.
4. Wiaan Mulder
While JSK couldn’t buy Coetzee, they went all in for Wiaan Mulder. Fresh off some incredible all-round outings, Mulder was in demand.
JSK opened the bid at Rand 500,000 before DSG barged in. The bid reached Rand 3.20 million when Paarl Royals (PR) entered the battle.
The intense bidding war took the price to Rand 9 million, after which the Royals backed out, and Mulder became a Super King.
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3. Tristan Stubbs
Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) went after South African players in the 2023 auction. And they splurged a whopping Rand 9.2 million on Tristan Stubbs, making him the most expensive player in the 2023 auction.
The Eastern Cape were at loggerheads with MI Cape Town to acquire the multi-dimensional player. Stubbs can bat, bowl, and keep wickets, which makes him an asset for any team.
And the right-hander proved his worth in the first two seasons, helping the Eastern Cape win the league twice. He scored 190 and 301 runs in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
2. Aiden Markram
Aiden Markram was the other marquee pick by DSG in the season four auction. They spent Rand 14 million on the right-hander to make him the second-most expensive player in the SA20 auction.
After three fruitful seasons with SEC, Markram threw his name in the auction pool. Everyone expected he would bag a hefty contract. And that’s what happened.
Pretoria Capitals (PC) and DSG were at loggerheads over buying Markram. Within minutes, the bid touched Rand 12.40 million, with PC dropping out.
The hammer fell, and DSG had their man. But they had to shell out a larger amount, as SEC used the Right-to-Match (RTM) card for Markram.
DSG raised the bid to Rand 14 million, which SEC couldn’t match. And finally, Markram found a new home in DSG.
1. Dewald Brevis
Markram wasn’t the only in-demand guy. Dewald Brevis, the young Proteas batting sensation, was the most sought-after player in the 2025-26 auction.
And the winning bid for him proved it. The Capitals spent Rand 16.50 million to get hold of the young batter.
Obviously, the signing wasn’t made without a high-voltage bidding war. It started with JSK and MI Cape Town steadily increasing the bid before PR gave a fight to JSK.
The bid reached Rand 10 million, with JSK clear favourites. But then PC entered the war to take the bid at Rand 16.5 million.
JSK backed out, the hammer fell down, and Brevis became the most expensive buy in the SA20 auction history.
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