SA20 unveils retained and pre-signed players before season 4 auction

The SA20 Season 4 Auction promises to be an exciting event as all six franchises have already made strong statements by revealing their list of retained and pre-signed players ahead of the auction.

Each team was allowed to keep up to six players, with a limit of three South African and three overseas cricketers. This player retention window concluded on July 18, giving teams a solid foundation to build upon for the upcoming season. Additionally, all franchises have secured their six Wildcard picks. These Wildcards could include either overseas stars or local players who were part of the franchise's squad in Season 3. 

Attention now shifts to the auction scheduled for September 9 in Johannesburg, where teams will compete for the remaining 84 spots. With a total auction purse of USD 7.4 million, the bidding is expected to be intense as teams look to complete their squads for Season 4.

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Full Squad Details and Available Auction Purse:

Durban Super Giants

Available Auction Purse: USD 1.6 million

Players: Sunil Narine, Noor Ahmad, Jos Buttler, Heinrich Klaasen (Wildcard)

Joburg Super Kings

Available Auction Purse: USD 1.2 million

Players: Faf Du Plessis, James Vince, Akeal Hosein, Richard Gleeson, Donovan Ferreira (Wildcard)

MI Cape Town

Available Auction Purse: USD 654K

Players: Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Nicholas Pooran, Kagiso Rabada (Wildcard)

Paarl Royals

Available Auction Purse: USD 825K

Players: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sikandar Raza, Rubin Hermann (Wildcard)

Pretoria Capitals

Available Auction Purse: USD 1.8 million

Players: Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell (Wildcard)

Sunrisers Eastern Cape

Available Auction Purse: USD 1.2 million

Players: Tristan Stubbs, Allah Ghazanfar, Adam Milne, Jonny Bairstow, Marco Jansen (Wildcard)

Several prominent South African cricketers are set to feature in the auction, including WTC final stars Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Wiaan Mulder, and Keshav Maharaj. Rising talents like Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka will also be up for grabs, along with seasoned T20 players Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, and Tabraiz Shamsi.

Graeme Smith, SA20 League Commissioner, said, “When the League first drafted its regulations in Season 1, we always saw this forthcoming season as an opportunity for a strategic reset — and this is exactly where we envisioned being. There’s now a strong balance between pre-signed and retained international and Proteas players, alongside a significant purse available for the auction.”

He further said, “ After three seasons, the franchises have developed a good understanding of the South Africa cricket ecosystem and adopted a distinct strategy, which sets the stage for the most exciting auction yet.”