SA20 Teams Get Green Light for Six Player Retentions Ahead of Auction

The SA20 league has announced that franchises will be allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the upcoming auction for its fourth season. The auction is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg on September 9.

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

A significant increase in the salary purse to USD 2.3 million for each team has been approved before the mega-auction, where a minimum of 72 slots across six teams will be available. This adjustment promises a more competitive and exciting player acquisition process.

Each franchise can retain a maximum of six players or pre-sign them. Among those six, no more than three can be overseas players. Each of the 18-member squads can have a maximum of seven international players, with at least 11 spots reserved for local South African talent.

Additionally, teams have the option to sign a "wild card player," either a South African or foreign cricketer, whose league fee will be excluded from the salary cap.

The Right To Match (RTM) card will be introduced in the South African league auction for the first time. Franchises can match the winning bid for a player who played for them in the previous season, thereby retaining the player 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 retained.

The Rookie Draft will no longer be part of the auction for the fourth season. Instead, franchises are required to sign at least two Under-23 players in their final 19-player squads.

Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20, stated: "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 as the auctioneer for the fourth season, which is scheduled to commence on December 26.