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

The fourth season of the SA20 is gearing up with significant changes to the player acquisition process. The league announced on Tuesday, June 24, that the player auction will be held in Johannesburg on September 9.

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

Key Changes for SA20 Season 4

Several important adjustments have been made ahead of the auction, impacting team composition and strategy:

• Increased Salary Purse: The salary purse for each of the six teams has been substantially increased to USD 2.3 million.
• Retention Policy: Franchises are permitted to retain a maximum of six players or pre-signed players. Of these, no more than three can be overseas players.
• Squad Composition: Each team can have a maximum of seven overseas players in their 18-member squad. At least 11 slots must be reserved for local players.
• Wild Card Signing: Each of the six teams will have the option to sign a 'wild card player', either South African or foreign, whose league fee will fall outside the salary cap.
• Right To Match (RTM) Card: For the first time in the SA20, the auction will feature the Right To Match (RTM) card. This allows a franchise to match the winning bid for a player who played for them in the previous season, retaining their 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.
• Rookie Draft Eliminated: The auction will no longer include a Rookie Draft. Franchises are now responsible for signing a minimum of two Under-23 players in their final 19-player squads.

Anticipation Builds for Exciting Auction

Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20, expressed his excitement 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 his role as the auctioneer for the fourth season, which is set to begin on December 26, Boxing Day.