 "Dinesh Karthik and Piyush Chawla have registered for the SA20 auction. Image: AFP")
Cricket enthusiasts are gearing up for the start of the 4th edition of the SA20 , South Africa’s premier T20 tournament. The season will begin on Boxing Day, December 26, 2025, and will culminate on January 25, 2026. The venues for the tournament have been released, and according to the schedule, Newlands will host the final of SA20 2026.
Indian participation in tournaments like the SA20 is often limited due to the BCCI’s restrictive policies, but the upcoming SA20 season could see increased involvement. Notably, 13 Indian players have registered for the 2025 auction, which is scheduled to take place on September 9, 2025.
Indians who will participate at the SA20 auction
Former international cricketers Dinesh Karthik and Piyush Chawla, with extensive IPL experience, will participate in the SA20 2025 auction. Other Indian players registered include Siddharth Kaul, Mahesh Ahir, Sarul Kanwar, Anureet Singh, Nikhil Jaga, Mohamed Faidh, KS Naveen, Ansari Marouf, Imran Khan, Venkatesh Galipelly, and Atul Yadav.
Among the Indian players, Piyush Chawla has the highest base price of 1,000,000 Rand. All other Indian players have a base price of 200,000 Rand, except Imran Khan, who is listed at 500,000 Rand. Notably, Dinesh Karthik is the only Indian among them with prior SA20 experience.
BCCI’s restrictive policy does not allow active Indian players to participate
Given that the BCCI does not permit active Indian players to compete in premier overseas T20 tournaments, the aforementioned players are all retired and have no active role in Indian cricket. Per BCCI policy, no active Indian cricketer can participate in overseas leagues unless they retire from Indian cricket, change nationality, or obtain an NOC from the BCCI.
The SA20 2025 auction could generate excitement as a veteran like Aiden Markram and exciting talents like Kwena Maphaka and Dewald Brevis go up for bidding. A bidding war could ensue. Further about the tournament, MI Cape Town will enter as the defending champions this time.