Ahead of the fourth edition of the SA20, all six franchises have unveiled their pre-auction retentions and signings, signaling a shift in strategy and squad makeup. Only three captains from the previous season Rashid Khan (MI Cape Town), Faf du Plessis (Joburg Super Kings), and David Miller (Paarl Royals) have been retained, highlighting the transformative direction the tournament is taking.
With a cap of just six retentions per team, squads are set for a significant overhaul. As a result, two-time SA20-winning captain Aiden Markram has opted to enter the auction pool, aiming for a fresh opportunity and potentially higher value.
Markram will be joined by several notable South African stars who were also released, including Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Wiaan Mulder, and Tabraiz Shamsi. These players now form part of what is expected to be the tournament’s most competitive auction pool yet. Season 4 is scheduled to begin just after Christmas. On the domestic front, five South African players were retained as wildcard selections: Rubin Hermann (Paarl Royals), Kagiso Rabada (MI Cape Town), Donovan Ferreira (Joburg Super Kings), Heinrich Klaasen (Durban’s Super Giants), and Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Eastern Cape). Andre Russell (Pretoria Capitals) was the only overseas player selected via the wildcard route.
The Pretoria Capitals made the fewest pre-auction moves, retaining just three players: Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, and Will Jacks. With the ILT20 shifting to early December, more players including marquee names like Sunil Narine are available for SA20. Narine will team up with Jos Buttler at the Durban franchise. Each team was allowed to retain up to six players (three local, three overseas). Teams can still bring back their released players via Right-to-Match (RTM) cards during the auction. A total of 84 spots will be available to fill at the auction scheduled for September 9.
Retentions by Franchise:
*Overseas players
Durban’s Super Giants (Remaining Purse: R29.5 million)
Sunil Narine*, Noor Ahmad*, Jos Buttler*, Heinrich Klaasen (Wildcard)
Joburg Super Kings (Remaining Purse: R21.5 million)
Faf du Plessis, James Vince*, Akeal Hosein*, Richard Gleeson*, Donovan Ferreira (Wildcard)
MI Cape Town (Remaining Purse: R11.5 million)
Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Corbin Bosch, Rashid Khan*, Trent Boult*, Nicholas Pooran*, Kagiso Rabada (Wildcard)
Paarl Royals (Remaining Purse: R14.5 million)
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman*, Sikandar Raza*, Rubin Hermann (Wildcard)
Pretoria Capitals (Remaining Purse: R32.5 million)
Will Jacks*, Sherfane Rutherford*, Andre Russell* (Wildcard)
Sunrisers Eastern Cape (Remaining Purse: R21.5 million)
Tristan Stubbs, Allah Ghazanfar*, Adam Milne*, Jonny Bairstow*, Marco Jansen (Wildcard)