SA20 Teams Given Six Retention Options Ahead of Season 4 Auction

The highly anticipated player auction for the fourth season of the SA20 is set to take place in Johannesburg on September 9, according to an official league statement released on Tuesday, June 24. With a significant 72 slots up for grabs across the six competing teams, the pre-auction buzz is amplified by a substantial increase in the salary purse, now standing at USD 2.3 million per team.

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

Prior to the auction, each franchise has the option to retain a maximum of six players, or pre-sign them. These retentions can include no more than three international players, setting the stage for strategic team compositions.

Each franchise is allowed to include a maximum of seven overseas players within their 18-member squad. A minimum of 11 places are reserved for local South African talent, emphasizing the league's commitment to developing domestic cricket.

Adding another layer of intrigue, each of the six teams will have access to a 'wild card' signing. This enables them to recruit either a South African or an international cricketer, and their league fee will be accounted for outside of the standard salary cap.

The upcoming auction will mark the debut of the Right To Match (RTM) card in the South African league. This strategic tool allows a franchise to match the winning bid for a player who previously represented them, ensuring they can retain key players from the prior season for the 2025-26 edition. The number of RTM cards available to each franchise will depend on how many South African players they have already retained.

A notable change for this fourth season is the removal of the Rookie Draft. Instead, franchises will be responsible for signing a minimum of two Under-23 players to complete their final 19-player squads.

Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20, expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming auction: "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 in his role as the auctioneer for the fourth season, which is scheduled to commence on Boxing Day, December 26.