SA20 Auction: Teams Can Retain Up to Six Players as Salary Cap Jumps to $2.3 Million

The fourth season of the SA20 is gearing up for an exciting player auction, scheduled to take place in Johannesburg on September 9. A league statement released on Tuesday, June 24, revealed that teams will be allowed to retain up to six players before the auction.

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

With a minimum of 72 slots available across the six teams, the stakes are high. To add to the excitement, the salary purse has been significantly increased to USD 2.3 million per team.

Here's a breakdown of the key rules for the upcoming auction:

• Retention Policy: Franchises can retain a maximum of six players prior to the auction.
• Overseas Players: No more than three of the retained players can be from overseas.
• Squad Composition: Each team can have a maximum of seven overseas players in their 18-member squad.
• Local Talent: A minimum of 11 slots are reserved for South African players.
• Wild Card Signing: Each team can sign one 'wild card player,' either South African or foreign, whose fee will fall outside the salary cap.

The upcoming auction will also introduce the Right To Match (RTM) card. This allows franchises to match the winning bid for a player who played for them in the previous season, ensuring they can retain familiar talent 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.

Another significant change is the removal of the Rookie Draft. Instead, franchises are now required to include at least two Under-23 players in their final 19-player squads.

"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," stated Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20. "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 scheduled to commence on December 26, Boxing Day.