The third SA20 player auction had its share of noise but very few surprises. Two headlines stick out: Aiden Markram fetched the top price – R14 million – and Dewald Brevis cost Pretoria Capitals even more than most observers expected, at R16.5 million. Everything else felt steady, if a touch frantic at times.
Below are the post-auction squads, followed by a bit of chat on where each team appears to stand.
Mumbai Indians Cape Town
Retained: Trent Boult, Rashid Khan, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Corbin Bosch
Wild Card: Kagiso Rabada
Pre-signing: Nicholas Pooran
Auction buys: Rassie van der Dussen (R5.2 m), Reeza Hendricks (R500k), Dwaine Pretorius (R650k), Tristan Luus (R650k), Jason Smith (R500k), Tom Moores (R200k), Dane Piedt (R200k), Tian van Vuuren (R1 m), Dan Lategan (R400k), Tabraiz Shamsi (R500k), Karim Janat (R1 m), Jacques Snyman (R200k)
Sunrisers Eastern Cape
Retained: Tristan Stubbs
Wild Card: Marco Jansen
Pre-signing: Jonny Bairstow, AM Ghazanfar, Adam Milne
Auction buys: Quinton de Kock (R2.4 m), Matthew Breetzke (R6.1 m), Anrich Nortje (R5 m), Senuran Muthusamy (R1.5 m), Patrick Kruger (R450k), Lutho Sipamla (R600k), Mitchell van Buuren (R200k), Jordan Hermann (R1.5 m), Beyers Swanepoel (R200k), James Coles (R1 m), Chris Wood (R500k), Lewis Gregory (R1 m), CJ King (R200k), JP King (R200k)
Johannesburg Super Kings
Retained: Faf du Plessis
Wild Card: Donovan Ferreira
Pre-signing: James Vince, Akeal Hosein, Richard Gleeson
Auction buys: Wiaan Mulder (R9 m), Nandre Burger (R6.3 m), Prenelan Subrayen (R1 m), Dian Forrester (R200k), Steve Stolk (R200k), Janco Smit (R200k), Neil Timmers (R200k), Shubham Ranjane (R200k), Brandon King (R200k), Rilee Rossouw (R500k), Rivaldo Moonsamy (R400k), Imran Tahir (R600k), Reece Topley (R600k)
Pretoria Capitals
Wild Card: Andre Russell
Pre-signing: Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford
Auction buys: Keshav Maharaj (R1.7 m), Lungi Ngidi (R2.3 m), Dewald Brevis (R16.5 m), Lizaad Williams (R2.4 m), Craig Overton (R1 m), Saqib Mahmood (R1.5 m), Codi Yusuf (R225k), Connor Esterhuizen (R3.2 m), Bryce Parsons (R1.9 m), Gideon Peters (R400k), Junaid Dawood (R200k), Will Smeed (R200k), Meeka-eel Prince (R200k), Bayanda Majola (R200k), Wihan Lubbe (R200k), Sibonelo Makhanya (R200k)
Paarl Royals
Retained: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin
Wild Card: Rubin Hermann
Pre-signing: Sikandar Raza, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Auction buys: Ottneil Baartman (R5.1 m), Gudakesh Motie (R375k), Delano Potgieter (R2.6 m), Kyle Verreynne (R2.3 m), Keagan Lion-Cachet (R950k), Asa Tribe (R200k), Hardus Viljoen (R200k), Jacon Johannes Basson (R200k), Dan Lawrence (R500k), Eshan Malinga (R1 m), Nqobani Mokoena (R200k), Vishen Halambage (R200k), Nqaba Peter (R500k)
Durban’s Super Giants
Retained: Noor Ahmad
Wild Card: Heinrich Klaasen
Pre-signing: Sunil Narine, Jos Buttler
Auction buys: Kwena Maphaka (R2.3 m), Aiden Markram (R14 m), Devon Conway (R325k), Gerald Coetzee (R7.4 m), David Bedingham (R325k), Marques Ackermann (R200k), Eathan Bosch (R1.75 m), Andile Simelane (R200k), Tony de Zorzi (R200k), Dayyaan Galiem (R200k), Taijul Islam (R500k), Evan Jones (R200k), Gysbert Wege (R200k), David Wiese (R1.3 m), Daryn Dupavillon (R200k)
Unsold (not exhaustive): Jordan Cox, Mustafizur Rahman, Tom Abell, Kusal Perera, Andile Phehlukwayo, Leus du Plooy
Immediate talking points
• Markram’s R14 million switch is the second-highest fee in the league’s short history. “It’s a fresh challenge and I’m up for it,” he said, sounding typically understated.
• Brevis, still only 22, heads into the season with a hefty price tag. A Capitals analyst noted, “We paid for upside – his numbers in powerplays are elite.”
• Mumbai added both Rabada and Rashid Khan – pace and leg-spin royalty in the same XI if everyone’s fit. “That’s a bit of fun for any captain,” joked coach Hashim Amla.
Squad balance – a quick look
Mumbai Indians Cape Town appear bowling-heavy, yet van der Dussen and Pooran provide middle-order nous. Sunrisers invested in top-order runs and genuine pace, though critics worry about the death-over options. Johannesburg threw serious money at local seamers (Mulder, Burger) and still found room for 45-year-old Imran Tahir; not everyone is convinced, but captain Faf du Plessis said, “Experience doesn’t go out of style.”
Pretoria’s splurge on Brevis means the Capitals will bank on four bargain seamers to stay fit, while Russell hovers as the late-innings insurance policy. Paarl look deep in spin – Fortuin, Motie, Mujeeb – which suits their slow New Lands strip. Durban arguably won the auction: Markram, Klaasen, Buttler and Narine in one batting order feels like overkill, and they still landed Coetzee’s express pace.
What next?
Franchises have until December to fine-tune overseas availability and secure no-objection certificates. Injuries will force replacements, and a mini-draft is pencilled in for early January. For the moment, though, the squads are set, chequebooks are closed, and the countdown to the 2025-26 SA20 is properly on – minus, of course, any fussier adjectives.
