SA20 Season 4: Teams Allowed to Retain Up to Six Players in Upcoming Auction

SA20 Teams Can Retain Up to Six Players Ahead of Auction

The fourth season of the SA20 is gearing up with exciting changes for the upcoming player auction. Scheduled for September 9 in Johannesburg, the auction promises intense bidding as teams vie for talent with an increased salary purse.

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

Each of the six franchises will have a salary purse of USD 2.3 million, a significant increase designed to encourage competitive team building.

Here are the key details for the SA20 Season 4 auction:

• Retention Policy: Franchises can retain a maximum of six players, with a limit of three overseas players.
• Squad Composition: Each team can have a maximum of seven international players in their 18-member squad, with at least 11 slots reserved for local South African players.
• Wild Card: Teams have the option to sign a 'wild card player,' either South African or international, whose league fee will not count towards the salary cap.
• Right To Match (RTM): For the first time, the SA20 will implement the RTM card. This allows a franchise to match the winning bid for a player who was on their team in the previous season. The number of RTM cards available to each franchise will depend on the number of South African players they have retained.
• Rookie Draft Eliminated: Instead of a Rookie Draft, franchises must include at least two Under-23 players in their final 19-player squads.

"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," said Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20. "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. The SA20 Season 4 is scheduled to begin on December 26, Boxing Day.