 "MI Cape Town won the third season of SA20 earlier this year. Image credit: SA20")
SA20 has been a roaring success since it was launched in 2023 and has changed the landscape of South African cricket – making Cricket South Africa a lot more stable financially and also improving the standard of T20 cricket in the ‘Rainbow Nation’. That the Proteas nearly won the first T20 World Cup following the league’s launch might be more than just a coincidence.
The rapid growth of the league, in which all six teams are owned by Indian Premier League franchises, can also be ascertained from the fact that SA20 now has the largest salary cap outside the IPL after just three seasons in existence.
SA20 thus, has surpassed Australia’s Big Bash League that has been around for 14 years, as well as other leagues such as The Hundred (England), Caribbean Premier League (West Indies), Pakistan Super League (Pakistan), etc.
How SA20’s salary cap compares with other leagues
After all, the player auction for the fourth season that will be taking place in Johannesburg on 9 September will have 72 slots up for grabs and a record salary cap of US$2.3 million per team.
The United Arab Emirates’ International League T20, in comparison, has a salary cap of US$2 million per team after a reduction of half-a-million per franchise. Teams in the CPL, meanwhile, have a total salary cap under a million USD, which according to some reports stands at US$780,000. The maximum salary cap for teams in the BBL, which are owned by state associations, stands at US$1.9 million.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe auction, which will be conducted by former IPL auctioneer Richard Madley, includes the ‘Right To Match’ card – which allows franchises to match the bid for a player who was part of their squad in the previous season.
Also introduced in the upcoming player auction is the ‘Wildcard’ player slot, which gives franchises the authority to sign one player, local or foreign, outside the salary cap, in order to lend more flexibility to the squad.
“The SA20 Season 4 Player Auction is setting up to be the most exciting yet. With mechanisms like RTM cards and an increased salary cap, we are likely to see intense bidding wars and clever squad-building strategies.
“This is a real chance for franchises to reshape their futures — and for players, both seasoned and emerging, to earn career-defining deals,” Stephen Cook, SA20’s Head of Cricket Operations, said.
Franchises will have to retain up to six players ahead of the auction – three South Africans and three overseas players – while the rest of the squad will be built during the auction.