SA20 Revamps Player Acquisition Rules for Upcoming Season

The fourth season of the SA20, South Africa’s prominent T20 league, is set for a significant transformation. A large portion of the player pool will be available at the auction, scheduled for September 9.

A key alteration involves franchises being limited to retaining or pre-signing a maximum of six players, a reduction from previous seasons.

This modification creates 72 open slots for the auction, which accounts for 63% of the 108 total positions across the six participating teams.

The team composition will remain the same, with each team required to have a maximum of seven international players and at least 11 South African players.

The salary cap has been increased to R41 million (approximately US$2.31 million) from R39.1 million (US$2.2 million). SA20 now offers the second-highest salaries among T20 leagues worldwide. All SA20 teams are owned by IPL franchises.

Teams will also have one Right to Match (RTM) option, allowing them to match the highest bid for a player who was on their roster in Season 3.

The number of RTMs a team receives will be based on how many South African players they decide to retain.

The rookie draft has been eliminated; instead, teams must directly sign a minimum of two players who are under 23 years old.

Because there will be no Test matches played at home during the 2025–26 summer due to the national team’s international commitments and stadium upgrades for the 2027 ODI World Cup, the SA20 will commence earlier than usual.

The competition will now begin on December 26 and end by January 26. The league will go back to its usual January to mid-February schedule from 2027 onward, with a slightly longer duration.

The number of teams (six) and total games (34) will not change.