SA20 Auction: Teams Can Retain Up to Six Players, Salary Cap Boosted for Season 4

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

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

Each team will have a significantly increased salary purse of USD 2.3 million. A minimum of 72 slots are available across the six teams participating in the league.

Franchises can retain a maximum of six players or pre-sign them before the auction. This retention can include no more than three overseas players.

Each team's squad can have a maximum of seven international players. At least 11 slots must be filled by local South African players. Furthermore, a "wild card" signing option is available, allowing teams to sign either a South African or an international player whose fee will not count towards the salary cap.

A key addition to this year's auction is the introduction of the Right To Match (RTM) card. This allows franchises to match the winning bid for a player who was on their team in the previous season, ensuring they can retain their services for the 2025-26 edition. The number of RTM cards available to each franchise will depend on how many South African players they have retained.

Unlike previous seasons, there will be no Rookie Draft. Instead, franchises are now responsible for ensuring that at least two players in their final 19-player squad are under the age of 23.

"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. He added, "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. The SA20 is scheduled to commence on December 26.