 "Former South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris. AFP")
SA20, which is South Africa’s rendition of the IPL, is gearing up for its fourth season, and ahead of that, the much-anticipated auctions will take place. Given the rapid rise of attacking talent in SA cricket lately, the upcoming auctions are expected to be the league’s most competitive yet.
The highly anticipated player auction is scheduled to take place on September 9 in Johannesburg. At least 84 player slots will be available this time. Moreover, the league has introduced new rules, including the Right to Match (RTM) card, which allows teams to retain players by matching the highest bid from rival teams.
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Chris Morris stoked about SA20 auction
Former South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris expressed his thoughts on the upcoming auctions and could not hide his excitement. Speaking to SuperSport ahead of the Season 4 auction, Morris said, “The auction is always exciting, no matter the tournament, but SA20 is the big one, with most of the players back in the pool. There have been a lot of retentions and several wild cards picked up, so it will be interesting to see how the teams go about building their squads. Some teams have plenty of money to spend, while others have already filled half their squads and don’t have much left in the purse. This means a lot of domestic players will be putting their hands up this season, and they’re likely to get opportunities because of the financial dynamics at play. I’ve already started my homework, looking at the teams, the squads, and who’s available, and I have a few ideas of where players might land. It’s a great time of the year, and SA20 is going to be even bigger this season.”
The six SA20 franchises will have a combined budget of $7.4 million to fill 84 slots and finalise their squads in what is set to be the biggest auction since the league’s 2022 launch.
When asked about potential players who could fetch the highest bids, Morris named Aiden Markram, who was not retained by the Sunrisers Eastern Cape
“Sunrisers haven’t retained him, but they do have a right-to-match card, meaning they can match the final bid for him and retain his services. That opens the door for mind games — other teams could bid aggressively to push his price high enough to make it difficult for the Sunrisers to bring him back. Two teams stand out to me: MI Cape Town, which would solve their captaincy question — not that Rashid Khan is doing a bad job — but having a successful local international captain at number four would be a big boost, especially since they’ve released Rassie van der Dussen, leaving a vacancy at number three. The other is Pretoria Capitals, who have one of the largest remaining purses. He’s a local player, would fill their captaincy role, slot in at number three, and bring strong leadership after Rilee Rossouw’s stint last year. Either way, Aiden Markram is going to be hot property.”
Around 600 players registered for the SA20 auction last year, the number could increase this year. Moreover, when it comes to the list of retained and pre-signed players, the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and England’s Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow are already in it.
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View AllBidding wars expected at SA20 auction
Morris expects a mix of rising stars and established players to ignite intense bidding wars at the auction.
“I think Kwena Maphaka is going to be at the centre of a bidding frenzy. Dewald Brevis is another, given he hasn’t been retained. Rassie van der Dussen, with his experience, could also be in demand. Personally, I always look out for the player who ends up going for a surprisingly high price — the buy of the tournament that no one saw coming. For me, Delano Potgieter could be that player. He’s been successful in SA20, has done well for MI Cape Town, and is a proven performer in domestic cricket. He covers multiple roles and adds great balance to a squad — the kind of player I’d sign straight away.”
The head of cricket operations of the SA20, Stephen Cook, also had some words to describe the forthcoming SA20 auction.
“The SA20 Player Auction is always a very exciting time in the build-up to the new season. This year’s event will be even more entertaining due to the number of player slots and the maximum USD 7.4 million purse available. Player registrations have been flooding in, with South African and overseas players putting their hat in the ring for valuable opportunities.” He told SuperSport
Don’t miss a moment of the SA20 Auction on September 9th! Catch all the action LIVE from 5 PM onwards on JioHotstar and stream it on the official SA20 YouTube channel.