Dewald Brevis and Aiden Markram were the headline acts at a lively, occasionally chaotic SA20 auction that left a few accountants rubbing their temples and plenty of coaches looking pleased with themselves.
First, the numbers. Brevis – already South Africa’s holder of the highest individual T20I score – drew Pretoria Capitals into a prolonged tussle with Joburg Super Kings and Paarl Royals. His base price sat at a modest R500,000, yet the paddle-raising didn’t stop until the Capitals offered R16.5 million (about US$945,000). That is an SA20 record, and it devoured more than half of the Capitals’ R32.5 million purse in one swipe. One team official, shaking his head, muttered, “That’s proper commitment; let’s hope the lad keeps whacking it.”
Barely a quarter-hour earlier, Markram had set what was then a new benchmark when Durban’s Super Giants won him for R14 million. Durban out-bid the Capitals at R12.4 million, Sunrisers Eastern Cape played their right-to-match card, Durban nudged to 14, and Sunrisers blinked. It leaves Markram in line to captain the Super Giants, with Keshav Maharaj – his predecessor – heading the other way for R1.7 million to re-join the Sunrisers.
Sunrisers, double champions but suddenly minus their skipper, arrived with 14 slots to fill and only Tristan Stubbs retained. Assistant coach Russell Domingo kept it simple: “Tristan’s captain. End of conversation.” They then spent R6.1 million on Matthew Breetzke and picked up Quinton de Kock for a comparatively thrifty R2.4 million. Anrich Nortje at R5 million adds fresh fire alongside Marco Jansen, while Patrick Kruger, Lutho Sipamla, Senuran Muthusamy and quartet James Coles, Chris Wood, Lewis Gregory and CJ and JP King arrived during the accelerated round. All 19 places filled; job done.
MI Cape Town, reigning champions yet short on cash, had just R11.5 million in the kitty. They spent almost half of it reclaiming Rassie van der Dussen for R5.2 million and were chuffed to nab Reeza Hendricks at base price. Dane Piedt and Tristan Luus remain on the books, so, unsurprisingly, their squad looks reassuringly familiar.
At the other end of the spectrum, Pretoria Capitals, Durban’s Super Giants and Joburg Super Kings opted for renovation rather than continuity. Once Brevis and Maharaj were secured, the Capitals bolstered their attack with local favourite Lungi Ngidi plus Lizaad Williams, Saqib Mahmood, Codi Yusuf and Craig Overton. “Supersport Park ought to favour quick bowlers,” head coach Graham Ford suggested, “so we’ve stacked up on them.”
Durban drafted in pace too – teenage left-armer Kwena Maphaka and firebrand Gerald Coetzee, the latter costing R7.4 million – while also adding all-round depth (figures for those later picks were modest, though exact numbers weren’t disclosed during the rapid phase).
Joburg Super Kings, after missing out on Brevis, spread their funds on seamers and utility players, still believing their existing top order will come good. One senior scout admitted, somewhat ruefully, “We threw everything at Brevis; once that ship sailed we had to reset fast.”
Auction nights are rarely tidy affairs. Bids fly, strategies shift, and phones buzz with whispered instructions from owners in other time zones. By the close, however, most coaches sounded reasonably content. As one analyst put it, “There’ll be plenty of talk about Brevis and Markram, but several sides have quietly plugged last season’s gaps. The balance of power hasn’t swung wildly; it’s just got a bit more expensive.”
Squads will be finalised once central contract confirmations land later this month. For now, Brevis and Markram can enjoy their status as the league’s most valuable men – and perhaps think of a discreet way to thank the accountants who signed it all off.
