SA20 Teams Given Green Light for Six Player Retentions Ahead of Season 4 Auction

The fourth season of the SA20 is gearing up with significant changes to player acquisition strategies. Teams will have the opportunity to retain up to six players before the auction, setting the stage for a strategic scramble for talent.

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

The league announced on Tuesday, June 24th, that the player auction for the upcoming season will be held in Johannesburg on September 9th. A key highlight is the increase in the salary purse, now standing at USD 2.3 million for each team. This substantial boost promises intense bidding and strategic player acquisitions. With a minimum of 72 slots available across the six teams, competition for players will be fierce.

Each franchise can retain a maximum of six players or pre-signings, with a limit of three international players among them. Teams are allowed a maximum of seven overseas players in their 18-member squad, ensuring that at least 11 slots are reserved for local South African talent.

Adding another layer of intrigue, each team will have access to a wild card signing. This allows them to sign either a South African or international player, whose league fee falls outside the standard salary cap.

The Right To Match (RTM) card will be introduced to the SA20 auction for the first time. This allows a franchise to match the winning bid for a player who was on their team in the previous season, enabling them to retain his services 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.

Notably, the auction will no longer include a Rookie Draft. Instead, franchises must sign at least two Under-23 players in their final 19-player squads.

Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20, emphasized the exciting prospects for the 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 his role as auctioneer for the fourth season, which is scheduled to commence on December 26th, Boxing Day.