SA20 Auction: Teams Given Green Light to Retain Six Players Amidst Increased Salary Cap and New RTM Card

The stage is set for the fourth season of the SA20, with teams now permitted to retain a maximum of six players ahead of the highly anticipated auction. The league officially announced that the auction will take place in Johannesburg on September 9th.

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 build their squads. This substantial increase promises to inject even more excitement and talent into the league.

Each franchise is allowed to retain or pre-sign up to six players, with a limit of three international players within that group. This strategic decision-making will be crucial in shaping the composition of each team.

Squad Composition and Wild Card Options

Here's a breakdown of the squad rules:

• Maximum Overseas Players: Each team can field a maximum of seven international players in their 18-member squad.
• Minimum Local Talent: At least 11 slots are reserved for South African players.
• Wild Card Signing: Teams can also sign a South African or international player as a 'wild card player'. The salary for this player falls outside the team's salary cap.

Right To Match Card Introduced

A new element introduced this season is the Right To Match (RTM) card. This allows a franchise to match the winning bid for a player who was on their roster in the previous season, effectively retaining 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 already retained.

Focus on Emerging Talent

Notably, the auction will no longer feature a Rookie Draft. Instead, franchises are now responsible for including a minimum of two Under-23 players in their final 19-player squads, highlighting a commitment to developing young talent.

Excitement Builds for Season 4

Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20, expressed his anticipation for the upcoming auction:

"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 return as the auctioneer for the fourth season, which is scheduled to commence on December 26th.