The SA20’s fourth season is shaping up a little differently. Each of the six franchises may keep only six players – retentions or pre-signings, whichever term you prefer – and that leaves 72 places to be filled at the auction on 9 September. Put another way, almost two-thirds of the entire player pool is now up for grabs.
Squad rules stay familiar: maximum seven overseas players, minimum eleven South Africans, 17 players in total. Money, though, has nudged upwards. The salary cap rises from R39.1 million to R41 million (roughly US$2.31 million), making SA20 second only to the IPL in raw cap size. As before, a single wildcard signing sits outside that limit.
“The larger cap keeps us competitive and rewards the talent we’re attracting,” league commissioner Graeme Smith said in a statement. He added that owners “still have room to balance experienced names with emerging local players”.
Right-to-Match cards remain part of the auction mechanics. A franchise can match the winning bid for anyone who played for them last season; the number of RTMs available depends on how many South Africans they have already retained. The separate rookie draft has been scrapped, yet every squad must still include at least two under-23 cricketers. Franchise scouts will be busy.
Timelines shift as well. With no home Tests next summer – the men’s national side tour until mid-December and several grounds begin refurbishment for the 2027 ODI World Cup – SA20 moves forward. The tournament starts on Boxing Day and ends on 26 January. From 2027 it reverts to a mid-January-to-February slot and gains a slightly longer overall window. Franchise count (six) and total fixtures (34) stay exactly the same.
Analytically, limiting retentions should inject genuine competition into the auction. Teams that invested heavily in season three now face tougher choices: hold core stars or open the chequebook again. Younger South Africans, especially the under-23 cohort, could find themselves valued higher than usual. “It’s a real chance for fresh faces,” Titans coach Mandla Mashimbyi noted when asked about the change. “If you’re 22 and in form, your phone will ring.”
For overseas players the message is mixed. The cap increase offers room for marquee contracts, but seven slots per team still keeps that market tight. Expect bidding battles for proven all-format all-rounders – always fashionable in a salary-capped world – while specialist spinners may slide up the order on pitches that traditionally tire through January.
The essentials, then: six retentions, bigger purse, 72 auction spots, Boxing Day launch. A fair shake-up without changing the league’s spine, and, if administrators have judged it correctly, a livelier, more open tournament for season four.
