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

SA20 Teams Can Retain Up to Six Players in Upcoming Auction

The SA20 league has announced that franchises will be allowed to retain a maximum of six players ahead of the Season 4 player auction. The auction is scheduled to take place in Johannesburg on September 9.

With a minimum of 72 slots available across the six teams, competition is expected to be fierce. The salary purse has been significantly increased to USD 2.3 million for each team, further intensifying the battle for top talent.

Prior to the auction, teams can pre-sign or retain a maximum of six players, with no more than three being overseas players.

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

Each franchise can include a maximum of seven overseas players in their 18-member squad. At least 11 slots must be filled by local players. A "wild card" signing is also permitted for each team, enabling them to sign either a South African or foreign player whose league fee will not count towards the salary cap.

This season also marks the debut of the Right To Match (RTM) card in the SA20 league. 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 the player 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.

The auction for Season 4 will not include a Rookie Draft. Instead, franchises are required to sign a minimum of 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," said 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 return as the auctioneer for the fourth season, which is scheduled to begin on December 26.