SA20 will follow in the footsteps of the IPL, organising a mega auction ahead of the 2025-26 season. All six teams, owned by IPL franchises, are ready with their auction strategies.
They will aim to build strong squads for the next season. All in all, it’s gonna be a cracker of an auction.
So, when is the SA20 2025-26 auction scheduled?
The SA20 season four auction will be a one-day affair. So, all the action will happen on September 9, 2025, in Johannesburg. The auction will start at 2 PM local time (5:30 PM IST).
Okay, how many players have registered for the SA20 2025-26 auction?
The SA20 had set a deadline of August 18, 2025, to register for the 2025-26 auction. Before the registration closed, a total of 784 players put their names in the pool.
But the SA20 has shortlisted 550 players, who will be up for grabs in the auction. 308 of those are South African players, while the other 242 are overseas.
Here’s a breakdown of players by country:
| Country | Players Shortlisted |
|---|---|
| South Africa | 308 |
| England | 97 |
| West Indies | 28 |
| Sri Lanka | 24 |
| Afghanistan | 19 |
| USA | 19 |
| Bangladesh | 15 |
| Netherlands | 8 |
| New Zealand | 6 |
| Scotland | 6 |
| Ireland | 5 |
| Zimbabwe | 5 |
| Namibia | 4 |
| UAE | 4 |
| Australia | 2 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Malaysia | 1 |
| Nepal | 1 |
How many players have teams retained and pre-signed?
Each team had the opportunity to retain or pre-sign six players. They could retain or pre-sign a maximum of three South Africans and three overseas players.
MI Cape Town have used up all their slots, while others have filled two to five spots.
Teams could also choose a wildcard player, whose salary falls outside the total auction purse. The wildcard player can be South African or overseas.
Here are each SA20 team’s retention, pre-signed, and wildcard picks (overseas players in bold):
Durban’s Super Giants (DSG): Noor Ahmad (retention), Sunil Narine (pre-signing), Jos Buttler (pre-signing), Heinrich Klaasen (wildcard)
Joburg Super Kings (JSK): Faf du Plessis (retained), James Vince (pre-signing), Akeal Hosein (pre-signing), Richard Gleeson (pre-signing), Donovan Ferreira (wildcard)
MI Cape Town (MICT): Ryan Rickelton (retained), George Linde (retained), Corbin Bosch (retained), Rashid Khan (retained), Trent Boult (retained), Nicholas Pooran (pre-signing), Kagiso Rabada (wildcard)
Paarl Royals (PR): Lhuan-dre Pretorius (retained), David Miller (retained), Bjorn Fortuin (retained), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (retained), Sikandar Raza (pre-signing), Rubin Hermann (wildcard)
Pretoria Capitals (PC): Will Jacks (retained), Sherfane Rutherford (pre-signing), Andre Russell (wildcard)
Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC): Tristan Stubbs (retained), Allah Ghazanfar (pre-signing), Adam Milne (pre-signing), Jonny Bairstow (pre-signing), Marco Jansen (wildcard)
Now, how many slots can each team fill?
Each SA20 team can have a maximum of 19 players in their squad. This, of course, includes the retention/pre-sign/wildcard picks.
Seven of those can be overseas players, while two slots are mandatorily reserved for under-23 South African players.
So now the Capitals have a lot of work to do, with 16 spots to fill. MICT have the fewest slots to fill (12). In all, 84 slots are up for grabs, including 27 overseas spots.
Here are the available slots for each team in the SA20 2025-26 auction:
| Team | Total Slots Available | Overseas Slots |
|---|---|---|
| Durban’s Super Giants | 15 | 4 |
| Joburg Super Kings | 14 | 4 |
| MI Cape Town | 12 | 4 |
| Paarl Royals | 13 | 5 |
| Pretoria Capitals | 16 | 4 |
| Sunrisers Eastern Cape | 14 | 4 |
Alright, what’s the salary cap in the SA20 2025-26 auction?
The salary cap has gone up in the SA20 2025-26 auction. Franchises can spend R41 million to assemble their teams.
Of course, every team won’t go with a full purse in the auction. With retention and pre-season signings, teams will have to fill the empty slots with the remaining amount.
Among them, the Capitals will go in with a huge purse, while MICT have the lowest amount at their disposal.
Here’s how much each team can actually spend:
| Team | Purse Available |
|---|---|
| Pretoria Capitals | R32.5 million (INR 16.9 crore approx) |
| Durban’s Super Giants | R29.5 million (INR 14.7 crore approx) |
| Joburg Super Kings | R21.5 million (INR 10.7 crore approx) |
| Sunrisers Eastern Cape | R21.5 million (INR 10.7 crore approx) |
| Paarl Royals | R14.5 million (INR 7.22 crore approx) |
| MI Cape Town | R11.5 million (INR 5.73 crore approx) |
Is there a Right to Match (RTM) card in the SA20 2025-26 auction?
Yep. SA20 teams will have the RTM option in the 2025-26 auction. This is the first time the league will see the RTM card in action.
So teams will be able to buy back players who represented them last season in this auction. Teams will simply have to match the final bid price to retain the player.
And finally, where to watch the SA20 2025-26 auction?
SuperSport will telecast the SA20 2025-26 auction in Sub-Saharan African countries.
Indian fans can rely on JioHotstar for all the live action, while Sky Sports will broadcast the auction in the United Kingdom.
And for the rest of the viewers, the auction will be live-streamed on SA20’s official YouTube channel.
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