In a major twist ahead of the SA20 2026 season, Aiden Markram ,the two-time title-winning captain of Sunrisers Eastern Cape has opted to leave the franchise and enter the auction pool. His decision comes shortly after the SA20 retention list was revealed on July 23, and despite guiding Sunrisers to a runner-up finish in 2025 as their third-highest run-scorer. According to ESPN Cricinfo, Markram has informed the franchise of his desire to explore the open market. However, Sunrisers still hold a right-to-match (RTM) card, giving them the option to buy him back during the auction by matching the highest bid.
This year’s auction, scheduled for September 9, is set to be the biggest since the league’s inception in 2022. With 72 of the 102 total squad spots up for grabs across six franchises, and the salary cap raised to Rand 41 million (US$2.31 million approx.), a fierce bidding war is expected especially for marquee names like Markram. Markram’s departure follows his release from Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2025 mega auction, after which he was picked up by the Lucknow Super Giants. Despite stepping away from the Eastern Cape franchise, a return remains possible via the RTM.
In a major change to SA20 auction rules, teams can now retain only six players (including pre-signings) the fewest in the tournament’s history. The wildcard rule, present since season one, has been modified to allow teams to pre-sign one player domestic or overseas outside the salary purse before the auction, rather than post-auction as before.
The retention and pre-signing lists include several high-profile names:
MI Cape Town
Retained: Trent Boult, Rashid Khan, Ryan Rickelton, Kagiso Rabada, George Linde, Corbin Bosch
Pre-signing: Nicholas Pooran
Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Pre-signing: Jonny Bairstow, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Adam Milne
Retained: Tristan Stubbs
Wild Card: Marco Jansen
Johannesburg Super Kings
Retained: Faf du Plessis, Donovan Ferreira
Pre-signing: James Vince, Akeal Hosein
Pretoria Capitals
Pre-signing: Andre Russell, Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford
Paarl Royals
Retained: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin
Pre-signing: Sikandar Raza, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Durban Super Giants
Retained: Noor Ahmed
Pre-signing: Sunil Narine, Jos Buttler
Wild Card: Heinrich Klaasen
The SA20 2026 season will kick off on Boxing Day (December 26). Unlike in past years, the tournament won’t significantly overlap with the ILT20, reducing scheduling conflicts for players. The ILT20 will run from December 2 to January 4. With more financial flexibility and big names on the table, this year’s auction promises to be a defining moment in the league’s evolution