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

The SA20 league has announced that franchises can retain up to six players before the upcoming auction for the fourth season. The auction is scheduled for September 9 in Johannesburg.

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

All six teams will have a significantly increased salary purse of USD 2.3 million to acquire players for the season. This substantial increase promises a competitive and exciting auction.

Retention Rules and Squad Composition

Each franchise can retain a maximum of six players or pre-signings, with a limit of three overseas players among them.

• Overseas Players: Teams can include 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: Each team can sign a South African or foreign cricketer as a 'wild card player'. The league fee for this player falls outside the salary cap.

New Elements in the Auction

This year's auction introduces the Right To Match (RTM) card. This allows a franchise to match the winning bid for a player who was on their team in the previous season, ensuring they can retain familiar talent for the 2025-26 season. 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 not feature in the fourth season. Instead, franchises must sign at least two Under-23 players in their final 19-player squads.

Official Statement

Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20, commented: "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 begin on December 26.