SA20 Teams Allowed Six Player Retentions, Get Salary Cap Boost Ahead of Season 4 Auction

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

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

Each franchise will have a significantly increased salary purse of USD 2.3 million to build their squads. A minimum of 72 slots are available across the six teams.

Franchises can retain a maximum of six players, including no more than three international players. Each team's squad can consist of up to 18 members, with a maximum of seven overseas players and a minimum of 11 local players.

A "wild card" signing is available for each team, enabling them to sign either a South African or international player whose fee will not count against the salary cap.

The Right To Match (RTM) card will be introduced for the first time in the SA20. This allows franchises to match the winning bid for a player who played for them in the previous season, securing their services for the 2025-26 edition. The number of RTM cards each franchise possesses will depend on the number of South African players they retain.

Unlike previous seasons, there will be no Rookie Draft. Instead, franchises must include at least two Under-23 players in their final 19-player squads.

According to Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20, "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 continue his role as auctioneer. The fourth season is scheduled to commence on December 26th.