In South Africa’s SA20, each team needs to have a squad of 19 players. The league holds a player auction every year where the teams can fill in their slots.
But the franchises must sign one specific player after the conclusion of the auction. The SA20 has made it mandatory for every team to sign a rookie player in addition to their regular squad strength.
But who is a rookie player?
The SA20 considers players who are aged 22 or below on the auction day as rookies. But there are two more conditions.
First, the concerned players need to be South African. And they shouldn’t have been contracted with SA20 in previous seasons. So a local player under the age of 22 can be a rookie only once.
So how do franchises pick up rookie players?
Like any other auction, rookie players need to register for the mega event. Now teams can pick rookie players during the auction itself by bidding on them.
But those who remain unsold during the auction phase get another chance in the rookie draft. The SA20 conducts the rookie draft once the auction concludes.
And even if a team bought a rookie in the regular auction, they need to sign another in the rookie draft. The ones bought in the auction will be regular picks, while the ones picked in the draft will be rookies.
So each SA20 team will have to pick one rookie player in an orderly manner, aggregating to six per season. The SA20 decides the order based on the teams standing in the previous season’s points table. The team in the last position will make the first pick, while the winners will be last in the order.
Teams will have two minutes each to sign the desired player when their turn comes up. If they fail to choose a rookie within two minutes, they will get another chance once a round concludes.
Tristan Luus, Keegan-Lion Cache, JP Kings, CJ Kings, Dewan Marais, and Daniel Smith were the six rookie picks in the 2025 auction.
Also Read | What is the Bonus Point Rule in SA20?
Do rookie players have a base price?
Yes. Every rookie player has a set price of Rand 75,000. The SA20 deducts the amount from each team’s purse even before the auction starts.
So teams can plan their other regular picks in the remaining amount, while the league ensures that every team signs one rookie without fail.
What’s the purpose behind the rookie draft?
Well, it’s an exciting rule put in place by SA20. The league aims to provide the up-and-coming local youngsters a chance to shine in the premier T20 league.
It will obviously help them play alongside experienced players and work with top coaches. This will be a golden opportunity for the rookies to learn from the best in the game and improve their skills.
And once these players play at such a competitive level, they will be more than ready to feature in international cricket and other franchise leagues.
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